HYDERABAD:
Central Crime Station (CCS) sleuths have arrested six persons,
including three Nigerians, who duped two city-based businessmen to the
tune of Rs 3.6 lakh by luring them with an offer to invest $ 1 lakh in
hotel business in the city.
On
August 28, one Raju Jembiya, 24, a businessman from Parsigutta, lodged a
complaint with the CCS sleuths alleging that he and his friend C
Sadashiva were duped by one Terry Joseph of Nigeria along with his
associates to the tune of Rs 3.6 lakh.
"Terry Joseph, who by
posing as a restaurant owner in Nigeria, befriended Sadashiva six months
ago over Facebook and then expressed his willingness to invest Rs 1
lakh US dollars in restaurant business in India. When Sadashiva agreed
to join the business venture of Terry, the latter responded saying that
he had sent a box to India with 1 lakh US dollars and told Sadashiva to
collect it in June, 2015," CCS joint commissioner T Prabhakar Rao said.
Police have arrested Samadan Laxman
Mali, 21, Rahul Dilip Kharde, 25, from Dombivli, Thane, Mahesh Damodar
Rajput, 36, of Thane East, three Nigerians from Mumbai, Onuoha Nnanna
Francis, 34, Valentine O Anumaka, 28, and Eze Victor, 35.
Later,
one Daniel called Sadashiva introducing himself as the custodian of the
cash parcel in Mumbai and asked him to deposit Rs 1.6 lakh as customs
clearance charges in various bank accounts given by him. After making
the payment, Sadashiva went to Mumbai to receive the box and, on the
directions of Terry, he met one agent Mahesh Damodar Rajput, who
collected Rs 2 lakh cash from him to hand over the box and then switched
off his phone. Subsequently, the victims lodged a complaint with police
and a special team of the CCS went to Thane by tracking beneficiary
bank account details and cell phone details of the culprits.
With
the help of the Thane police, the CCS team arrested the six accused
from various places in Mumbai on Tuesday and brought them to the city on
a PT warrant on Monday. The arrested were remanded in judicial custody,
but the main accused Terry was yet to be nabbed.