A Nigerian has been arrested here for allegedly cheating a Kerala-based man of Rs 36,500 by promising him a well-paying job at a reputed hotel in the UK, police said today.
Chima John Emmanuel won the victim's confidence by claiming association with the British mission in Mumbai and convinced him to part with the money to facilitate his job.
Emmanuel, who posed as Peter Beckingham (a former UK diplomat), was tracked down at Nalasopara in adjoining Thane district on last Monday, said Jaywant Darekar, an officer with Economic Offence Wing (EOW).
"The accused was caught after analysis of his phone call records. He was produced before a court that sent him in police custody till Saturday," the officer said.
Beckingham used to be British Deputy High Commissioner for Western India and his name was misused by the accused to trick his victims, Darekar added.
Explaining the modus operandi, he said, "Emmanuel used to advertise fictitious jobs in the UK with reputed hotels and other business entities on a popular online classifieds firm."
After receiving resumes from job seekers, the accused used to send "offer" letters on fabricated letterheads and also asked them to deposit certain amounts in bank accounts opened with fake names in various states, including Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
"Soon after the cash was deposited, the accused used to withdraw it through ATMs," the officer said.
In this case, the victim, Abhilash Tuttil, was offered a General Manager's job in a posh UK hotel. "After receiving an offer letter and visa processing form, Tuttil deposited Rs 36,500 in a bank at Bandra here last month.
"The cash was immediately withdrawn. The victim was asked to deposit another Rs 49,000 to complete some other formalities," Darekar said.
Sensing that something was amiss, the 26-year-old came to Mumbai, where he made enquiries with the UK mission.
Realising he had been cheated, Tuttil approached EOW which lodged a complaint on September 26. "We suspect involvement of more people in the racket," he added.
