JOIN USThe suspect, identified as Johnson Mkyambo from the Kingdom of Lesotho, was trapped when he came to receive money from the victim near the Chikkabanawara Railway Station.
Satish Kumar, a resident of Manjunath Nagar who had recently returned from abroad, received a call on his cellphone on July 21 saying his number had won a jackpot of Rs 5.6 crore under ‘Airtel sponsorship award’.
To claim his award, he was asked to deposit Rs five lakh for ‘tax clearance’, into six bank accounts in State Bank of India, Soladevanahalli branch. Thrilled at having won the jackpot, Satish deposited Rs 91,125 initially, but soon realised that it may be a fraud when the calls became persistent for depositing the remaining amount.
An alarmed Satish approached the Soladevanahalli police and filed a complaint against Mkyambo. The police then laid a trap and asked Satish to insist on handing over the money in person.
Trapped
As planned, Satish asked Mkyambo to come near Chikkabanawara Railway Station on Wednesday evening to collect the money, where the police arrested him.
On interrogation, Mkyambo revealed that he had five accomplices. Police have registered cases under Section 420 and 34 of the IPC and are on the lookout for his co-conspirators.
The police produced Mkyambo before the Embassy on Thursday to verify his antecedents.