The suspect, identified as Kingsley O., was taken into custody in the Esenyurt area of Istanbul along with five other individuals believed to have assisted in the operation.
The group was later brought before a court on Thursday, June 11, 2026.
It was gathered that the case began in 2020 when a Hong Kong-based dentist, identified as Siu P.Y.F., met a man on a dating platform.
The man allegedly introduced himself as “Richard,” claiming to be a wealthy American businessman, and the two maintained contact by phone for several years and eventually discussed marriage.
During their relationship, the suspect reportedly told the woman he was involved in a major investment project in Istanbul and needed financial assistance.
Trusting his promises and believing they would eventually marry, she transferred money in multiple payments to bank accounts in Turkey between 2020 and 2022.
After receiving the funds, the man allegedly cut off all communication and became unreachable.
Realising she had been deceived, the woman reported the matter to authorities in Hong Kong.
However, when the investigation failed to produce results, she hired a lawyer in Turkey and filed a complaint with prosecutors in Istanbul.
Turkish fraud investigators traced the bank accounts used in the transactions and detained several account holders.
While most denied any knowledge of the scheme, one suspect reportedly admitted passing money from his account to a Nigerian man known to him as “Richard.”
The confession led investigators to intensify surveillance efforts, eventually identifying the alleged mastermind as Kingsley O., a 43-year-old Nigerian resident of Istanbul. Police later arrested him during a raid.
Kingsley denied the allegations during questioning.
Following the completion of police investigations, he and the other suspects accused of helping facilitate the transfers through their bank accounts were taken to court under tight security.
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