Nigerian Arrested For Visa Fraud
Nigerian Arrested For Visa Fraud
A 27-year-old Nigerian who defrauded an education advisor in India to the tune of $22,300 under the pretext of securing the Indian a Canadian visa has been arrested by the Commercial Crime Unit (CCRU) of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.
The suspect, Atuegwu Ekena, after collecting the money, lured his victim from India to Ghana to collect the visa in order to travel to Canada.
According to the Commander of the CCRU, Superintendent Felix Mawusi, in January 2011, the suspect, through the use of the Internet, contacted the complainant, Jaswinder Singh, an education advisor in Punjab, India.
He said the suspect made representations to the complainant that he was a travel agent and could secure him visas to travel to countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the USA, among others.
Supt Mawusi said after several exchanges of correspondence, the suspect impressed upon the complainant that he (suspect) had assisted a number of people from other countries to travel to the countries mentioned.
He said the complainant expressed interest in the deal and the suspect then demanded US$17,800 as the cost of a Canadian visa per person and directed the complainant to send his passport to his (suspect’s) business partner, who was also based in Punjab, India.
He said with an address given by the suspect, the complainant managed to locate the said business partner in Punjab and handed over the passport of one of his (complainant’s) relatives by name Sekhon Jagraj Singh.
The commander said after handing over the passport, the complainant was again directed by the suspect to pay the fee of $17,800 to the same man, which he did.
Supt Mawusi said on February 18, 2011, the suspect scanned and forwarded, through the Internet, a forged Canadian visa No B9:37822884 dated February 18, 2011 which will expire on February 18, 2013 in the name of Sekhon Jagraj Singh to the complainant.
He said at the same time the suspect sent a letter of invitation to the complainant in India for the Indian to visit his suspect’s offices in Ghana where he could easily connect him to travel to Canada.
On February 27, 2011, the complainant arrived in Ghana and the suspect, together with another person not yet known, met and picked him from the Kotoka International Airport to a hotel at Santa Maria, Accra.
After checking the complainant into the hotel, the suspect demanded and collected $3,500 from the complainant as his (suspect’s) commission on the forged visa in the name of Sekhon Jagraj Singh.
As if that was not enough, the suspect also took the complainant’s Dell laptop, valued at $1,000, under the pretext of installing an Internet modem on it for him and then left the complainant stranded in the hotel, as he never returned.
Supt Mawusi said the suspect resorted to sending false text messages to the complainant, alleging that he had been arrested by the police and needed an additional $1,800 to secure his release.
The commander said the complainant, at that stage, realised that he had been swindled and so with the help of the hotel staff he reported the matter to the police.
Investigations by the police led to suspect’s arrest on February 5, 2011 and, upon interrogation, he admitted to the offence and told the police that he had been engaged in cyberfraud for some time now.
He said the laptop and the $3,500 the suspect collected from the complainant on the latter’s arrival in Ghana had since been retrieved, while investigations continued.