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Nigerian arrested for cheating

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: A Nigerian national has been arrested by the Crime Branch of the Delhi police for allegedly duping a chartered accountant of several lakhs of rupees on the pretext of involving him in a township development project.

According to police, Sri Ram Mushty, a businessman from Vijaywada in Andhra Pradesh who is also a chartered accountant, had received e-mail from one Martin Edwards in which he claimed that he intended to invest 13.2 million US dollars for "township development" and was looking for a financial consultant. Edwards promised five per cent of the entire investment and also 50 per cent of the profits in the business venture. Edwards also asked Mr. Mushty to pay 3,250 British pounds (or its equivalent in Indian currency) towards clearing of certain documents for the purpose. After a telephonic conversation, Mr. Mushty agreed to enter into the venture. As per the plan, Mr. Mushty was supposed to meet Edwards' representative, Tim Perkins, near Mahipalpur Chowk in South-West Delhi. In the meantime, a Crime Branch team got the tip-off about the "deal".

A trap was laid and the accused arrested after Mr. Mushty handed Tim a cheque of more than Rs. 2.6 lakhs and Rs. 5,000 in cash.

The police said Tim, who claimed to be a bachelor in sociology from a Nigerian university, had also tried to cheat another woman from R.K. Puram. He had sent her e-mail saying she had won a prize of seven million pounds even though the woman had never participated in any lottery contest.

He had also asked her to pay Rs. 3 lakhs in an ICICI Bank account for clearance of the huge amount. Tim also did not possess any documents that could establish his stay in India was legal. Further investigations in the case are on.

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