'Prince', associate land in police net trying to dupe innocent

New Delhi, Mar 1 (UNI) Cracking down on Nigerians, who often duped the gullible through ingenuous methods of trickery, police have arrested a 'prince' and a former policeman hailing from the African nation from Connaught Place here.

Emmanuel, who claimed to belong to the royal family of Nigeria, and a former employee of the Nigerian Police Chukwue Meka Augustini were arrested close to Odean theatre in Connaught Place last evening, Additional DCP (New Delhi) Manish Agarwal told mediapersons today.

''While Emmanuel had a passport, which looked fake, his companion did not have any,'' Mr Agarwal said.

They had gathered in Connaught Place to take delivery of Rs 130,000 from one Amit Kumar Goswami, from Jharkhand, in order to share 15 per cent of the nearly two million 'locked' in the Nigerian Embassy vault here, he added.

''The accused during interrogation said the amount was the rent for keeping the money in the vault and as they did not have it they had asked for Goswami's help,'' Mr Agarwal said.

Emmanuel had told Goswami that the money was his father's who worked as a minister with the Nigerian royal family, he added.

UNI AN MA KP1723