Conman: ‘FBI agent’ nabbed

Suspect trapped people by offers of cheap dollars.

ISLAMABAD:

People have been taken in by conmen impersonating as local intelligence agents in the past. But Hayat Khan went a step further, choosing to pose as a US agent. He deprived victims of millions of rupees by selling them counterfeit dollars and fake gold before he was nabbed on Thursday.

He introduced himself as an agent of USA’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and lured people by promising to sell them dollars at cheap rates. Multiple fraud cases were registered against the suspect who gave his name as Riaz Khan and would also wear a wig to change his appearance.

The suspect was traced with the help of his phone number. From his contacts, SP Muhammad Ilyas tracked a money changer’s contact number who gave the police his current cell number. “He was called and asked for a meeting. When he arrived, the police arrested him,” said SP Illyas. They also recovered Rs2 million from his possession.

In a complaint registered in April, Hameed Saleem told the police that he met Khan through a friend. He introduced himself as an agent for FBI, with access to dollars and gold. However he could not sell them openly due to the sensitive nature of his job.

Khan gave him a gold wire and $200 for evaluation. They were genuine. Next day, Saleem was asked to bring Rs4 million in exchange for $50,000. Khan called him to the Foreign Office but later met him outside a house in E-7. He left with the money, asking Saleem to wait. When he did not turn up with the dollars, Saleem approached the police.

Police said the suspect trapped people by first exchanging sums ranging between $500 to $1000, before proposing transactions involving millions of rupees. “At one point, he even made Rs5 million,” said Kohsar police quoting Khan during the initial investigation.

His FBI service card and two NICs issued in the name of Riaz Khan and Hayat Khan, his real name, were recovered.

Published In The Express Tribune, June 8^th, 2012.