INTERPOL arrests two Nigerians over $2.4m cyber fraud, recovers luxury car

The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) has announced the arrest of two Nigerians over separate cybercrime investigations, including an international investment fraud scheme involving more than $2.4 million in suspected criminal proceeds.

The arrests were made during Operation Serengeti III, a multinational crackdown on cybercrime conducted between June 29 and August 31, 2026, involving law enforcement agencies from 21 countries.

According to a statement published on INTERPOL’s website and obtained by PUNCH Metro on Thursday, one of the suspects was linked to a large-scale phishing and business email compromise operation that allegedly stole software credentials and harvested about 2.1 million email addresses.

Investigators also recovered a luxury vehicle suspected to have been purchased with proceeds from the alleged criminal operation.

In a separate investigation, Nigerian authorities arrested another suspect over an international investment fraud scheme allegedly promoted through messaging applications.

Financial investigations traced more than $2.4 million in suspected criminal proceeds to the scheme, with a significant portion allegedly laundered through cryptocurrency transactions.

INTERPOL did not disclose the identities of the suspects in its statement.

The agency said Operation Serengeti III targeted several cyber-enabled offences, including online fraud, ransomware attacks, business email compromise, digital extortion and other internet-based scams.

The operation resulted in the arrest of 1,462 suspects across participating countries and the disruption of 10,909 malicious networks. Authorities also recovered more than $105 million in illicit funds.

According to the statement, investigators identified 65,929 victims targeted by cybercriminal networks, while financial inquiries linked the criminal activities to losses exceeding $385 million.

INTERPOL said private-sector partners supported the operation by providing intelligence, technical expertise and analytical resources that helped law enforcement agencies identify suspects, trace criminal networks and strengthen investigations.

The organisation’s Director of Cybercrime, Neal Jetton, said international cooperation remained critical to tackling cybercrime, which increasingly operates across national borders.

“Operation Serengeti III reinforces a clear message: while cybercrime is increasingly borderless, international cooperation remains one of the most effective tools for disrupting criminal networks, recovering criminal assets and protecting communities from digital harm,” Jetton said.

INTERPOL added that investigations arising from the operation were continuing, with authorities working to identify additional suspects, trace criminal proceeds and analyse digital evidence recovered during enforcement activities.

Nigeria participated in the operation alongside Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, the United States, Zambia and Zimbabwe.