The Kerala Police have arrested a Nigerian national on the charge of operating an online job racket.
A team led by Deputy Inspector General of Police Sanjay Kumar Gurudin arrested the accused from Mumbai. The police identified the suspect as Kolawole Boboye.
He had arrived in India on a student visa. He had repeatedly indulged in various online advance fee frauds, an official said.
The accused had allegedly sent emails to various persons offering them placements in the United States. A resident in Thiruvananthapuram, Nandana, rose to his bait.
Over several months, the victim electronically transferred cash to various account numbers sent to her by the suspect. The Nigerian had allegedly promised the trained pharmacist a job in Flowers Hospital in Dutton in the United States. The accused had siphoned off ₹1.3 lakh from the woman as an advance fee for processing her job visa and making her travel and stay arrangements.
Digital footprints
When her prospective “employment agent” turned incommunicado, the victim approached Mr. Gurudin. The DIG put Dy.SP, Cybercrime, P. Giji, in charge of the case.
The investigators traced the digital footprints left by the suspect on internet banking sites and social media and tracked his mobile phone communication. Several leads turned cold, but the investigators soon struck gold. They followed the accused to his location in Mumbai. The police said the suspect used many ATM cards and fictitious identifies for the fraud. They said the fraud detected so far was just the tip of the iceberg.
The accused was produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, Thiruvananthapuram, and remanded in judicial custody.
