Indian-origin woman in South Africa charged with perjury for faking her own kidnapping
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Johannesburg: A 47-year-old Indian-origin woman who allegedly faked her kidnapping and demanded a R2 million ransom from her husband was charged with perjury after investigating officers located her from a hotel room in South Africa's Pietermaritzburg city.
The National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Natasha Kara said on Wednesday that Firoza Bee Bee Joseph, was charged with "defeating the ends of justice" and released on bail until her next court appearance on June 7.
She was arrested on Tuesday after a police investigation proved her version of events was not entirely accurate.
Joseph's husband received a call on Monday saying she was kidnapped and pleaded with him to deposit an undisclosed amount of money for her release, said police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda.
According to the charge sheet, there was a R2 million ransom.
Her husband received another call from a man who threatened to hurt the woman if the money was not paid, Netshiunda said.
As investigations proceeded, police found footage of Joseph at a casino in Pietermaritzburg, some 80 km from Phoenix, after the ransom calls were made.
Further investigation led police to locate Joseph from a bed and breakfast facility in the city, where she had checked in under a different name.
She was also found in possession of all her jewellery, which she claimed was taken by the kidnappers, Netshiunda added.
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Interstate cyber-fraud racket busted in UP's Baghpat, 7 held
Baghpat (PTI): An interstate cyber-fraud racket involved in duping people on the pretext of providing bank jobs was busted by police in this Uttar Pradesh district on Sunday with the arrest of seven people, including two women, officials said.
Police said the accused were running a fake call centre and luring job seekers from several states by issuing forged appointment letters and fabricated agreements in the name of bank recruitment, collecting large sums of money in return.
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Twelve mobile phones, two laptops, two SIM cards on fake names, several forged appointment letters and agreements, 15 bank passbooks, two chequebooks, UPI QR codes, ATM cards and 11 other cards were seized from the possession of the accused, police said, adding that the data of around 6,450 people from different states was found stored in the laptops.
According to the officials, the gang misused information obtained from online platforms, such as OLX and job-related websites, to target unsuspecting victims.
The racket was uncovered following complaints received on the Union home ministry's "Pratibimb" portal and subsequent technical surveillance.
Investigations revealed at least 20 complaints from various states, including Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Assam and Meghalaya.
The arrested accused were identified as Mohit Kumar, Puneet Kumar, Vardaan, Anuj Kumar and Akshay, besides the two women.
They were arrested at around 11:30 am from under the Eastern Peripheral Expressway in the Kotwali Baghpat area.
A case has been registered at the cyber crime police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and section 66D of the Information Technology Act, police said.
