Conman's Double-Money Scam Backfires, Lands Him in Jail for 7 Years!

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

A smooth-talking investor promised to double the money of two unsuspecting victims but instead left them with a pile of fake cash and a gaping hole in their wallets. His elaborate scheme has landed him behind bars for seven long years, thanks to a vigilant deputy corporal who exposed his fraudulent ways.

The 46-year-old African investor's claim to double the money of two victims turned into a nightmare when they discovered he was dealing in counterfeit currency.

The Supreme Criminal Court of Appeal didn't buy his sob story, upholding the lower court's verdict and slapping him with seven years in the slammer. On top of that, he's been fined 1,000 dinars, had his bogus stash confiscated, and will be booted out of the country once he's served his time.

The investor managed to deceive an Asian man and his girlfriend by asserting he could double the 5,000 dinars they had collected. They handed over the money, expecting it to become 10,000 dinars, but later found out he was dealing in fake currency.

The court found him guilty of counterfeiting legally circulated currency in Bahrain and another country, specifically 20 Bahraini dinar notes, with the intention of using and promoting them. He also managed to swindle cash from the victims through deceitful methods.

Details of the incident reveal that a deputy corporal testified he knew the accused through his girlfriend, who met the man through her job at an accommodation services office. The accused asked her for a loan of 5,000 dinars, promising to return 10,000 dinars in a week. She and her friend collected the money, but but the defendant disappeared after making off with it.

The deputy corporal, posing as a businessman, set a trap for the accused by arranging a meeting. When they met in Manama, the accused took them to his apartment. There, the deputy corporal discovered fake 20 Bahraini dinar notes totalling 1,000 dinars. Upon confrontation, the accused admitted the money was counterfeit and asked for a chance. After missing the deadline to return the 5,000 dinars, the victims filed a report.

An investigation officer testified that the accused was known for fraud, using deceptive techniques to convince victims he could double their money. His modus operandi for producing counterfeit notes involved using various materials, including paper, charcoal, powder, dyes, chemicals, rulers, and adhesive tape.