Indian woman flees Oman after duping USD 10 mln from investors

An Indian woman has allegedly duped a number of Indian investors to the tune of USD 10 million in Oman and fled the country, according to a report.

According to the victims, the swindler lured them by showing forged ministry papers claiming to be the in-charge of several projects, the Times of Oman reported.

"She lured us into the trap. She even produced forged papers claiming she was responsible for executing many projects. She wanted money and offered us interest. Trusting her, we gave her money after taking cheques," said an investor, who has lost 350,000 rials.

"She used to pay us interest in the beginning but after a few months she defaulted on payments. When we tried to enquire about her antecedents, she had already vanished," he said.

The victims said the woman fled Oman in May with at least USD 10.3 million (4 million Omani rials) and is said to "enjoying life" in Mangalore in India.

Victims of the fraud say the woman has duped several people and details now available with them prove that over 4 million rials were siphoned off within months.

"She used to visit the church and school meetings regularly to widen her network. By visiting these places regularly, she gained our confidence. We never thought that she will run away with our hard earned money," wife of one investor said.

The couple has registered a case with the police and approached the court too.

"In one case, the court has given a verdict in our favor. We are now planning to file more cases. We want the authorities to nab her, retrieve our money and send her behind the bars," the investor was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

Another investor who lost 78,000 is looking at the options available through the local police.

"We have moved the court. We are planning to file more cases. We are also talking with our lawyers for options to seeking Interpol's help as she has left Oman," he said.