Bengaluru: Nigerian cheats job aspirant, held

Bengaluru: A 30-year-old Nigerian, who had conned the son a retired DySP of Rs 14.30 lakh by offering a fake job abroad was arrested by the R.T. Nagar police nine months after the case was reported.

The accused has been identified as Steve Owen alias Hussain. Investigations revealed that he had come to India a few years ago on business visa. According to the police, the alleged online cheating took place last year. The complainant, a son of retired DySP and an MBA post graduate, was looking for a job abroad and came across a website that had job openings.

As per the details provided in the website, the company was in Scotland. Further, it also had an email ID belonging to the HR department of the company. “Through the email ID, the complainant contacted the accused assuming that the latter was a HR executive of the company. The accused took all details related to the complainant’s education and work experience. Using another identity, he also conducted an online interview with the job aspirant. A few days later, the complainant received a call that he was selected for the job and a fake appointment letter was sent to his email ID, offering him a hefty package of '1.44 crore per annum,” the police said.

Later, the accused told the complainant that there are certain procedures to get visa and other permits and for that, the complainant needs to bear the expenses, which will be reimbursed once he joins the company. Trusting him, the complainant deposited a total of Rs 14.30 lakh to the bank account number given by the accused, spread over 5-6 occasions. After receiving the money, the accused was not reachable, the police added. After realising that he was duped, the complainant filed a complaint in July last year.