This archive report was first published on 26 June 2020.
Published on June 26, 2020, Dubai police have arrested Nigerian Instagram celebrity Raymond Igbalodely, known as Hushpuppi, on allegations of fraud amounting to $435m (Ksh46.3 billion).
According to the Dubai police, the arrest was made in an operation dubbed 'Fox Hunt 2', which involved the simultaneous raids of six locations in Dubai, resulting in the arrest of 12 other individuals.
It is alleged that nearly two million people from different parts of the world fell victim to the suspect's online fraud network.
Raymond Igbalodely, who claimed to be a successful businessman, was based in Dubai and used his social media influence to deceive his followers.
The Dubai police have released a video documenting the four-month investigation that led to the arrests, revealing a hidden online fraud network that committed crimes outside the UAE, including money-laundering, cyber fraud, hacking, criminal impersonation, banking fraud, and identity theft.
The group is accused of hacking corporate emails and cloning websites to redirect payments to their own accounts.
The Dubai police have not yet disclosed when the suspects will be charged.
