New Delhi, Nov 30 (IANS) A woman who posed as a Briton has been arrested for cheating a businessman on the pretext of making huge investments in his business, police said Friday.
Theresa Jovita D’Souza alias Rhea Jannet Mallon (39) of Goa was taken into custody at a hotel in Paharganj in central Delhi Nov 27, the day a complaint was filed, said Joint Commissioner of Police Sandeep Goel.
Businessman P. Rahmatullah, who deals in granite stones and lives in Andhra Pradesh, reported that in July a man, Johnson Mallon, claiming to be a Briton, showed interest in becoming his business partner.
Initially, D’Souza and Mallon met Rahmatullah’s sons in Delhi. They promised to bring in huge investments in Rahmatullah’s business, said the officer.
But they also him that $800,000 (over Rs.4 crore), which they wanted to invest, was stuck in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Delhi.
“They sought Rs.10 lakh from the complainant for getting the money from IMF. The victim transferred the money into two accounts. The complainant also received emails purportedly from IMF and RBI (Reserve Bank of India) intimating him of the clearance of the said amount,” said the officer.
Rahmatullah got suspicious when he received a phone call purportedly from the RBI asking him to transfer another Rs.1.20 lakh for further clearance.
“When the complainant verified the authenticity of the e-mails from RBI, it was found to be bogus,” said the officer.
After her arrest, the woman revealed that her accomplices are Africans and not British citizens, said the officer.
