Three men, including a Nigerian national, have been arrested in India for allegedly duping people after befriending them on social media, police said on Friday.

According to the police, the three used to befriend people on social media by posing as non-resident Indians using fake IDs and with a promise of marriage, Republic World reports.

The accused used to tell the gullible people that the gift he was bringing from abroad has been seized by the customs department and a penalty needs to be paid, City Superintendent of Police Nipun Agarwal said.

This way they used to get the money transferred to their bank accounts, the police officer said.

He said that the accused have been identified as Arvind Verma, Prince Pandey and Aka Didier, the Nigerian national.

According to the police, Didier came to India in April 2019 on a six-month visa. He continued to stay in south Delhi even after his visa expired.

Police have seized 32 ATM cards, five mobile phones, two photocopies of Visa and passport, six cheque books and two passbooks from his possession, Agarwal added.