Four held for cheating

Police arrested four persons, including a Nigerian, for cheating a man of Rs 12.3 lakh by promising him Maragari seeds, said to have medicinal properties.

They claimed that the seeds are used in medicines to cure Aids, dengue and cancer. The arrested are Vimal Rameshwara Tiwari, 37, Govind Dotre, 23, Praveen Sadanand Bhogle, 25 and Isaiahigho alias Sonia Gupta, of Nigerian origin. The gang had opened an office in Mumbai claiming that it was a franchise of Aler Bone Pharmaceutical Traders, based in England.

Dhruv Kumar, a resident of Koramangala, fell into the trap and paid Rs 12.3 lakh for the seeds. When he got the seeds delivered, he realised they were neither herbal nor did they have any medicinal value.

He lodged a complaint with the Koramangala police. A special team of the South-East division police traced the miscreants to Mumbai and arrested them.