A Corriverton man is being sought by police after he sold a woman’s property to three different individuals under false pretence and robbed her of $600,000 in jewellery.
According to Vanessa Crawford, 30, she met and became involved with the man two months ago, after he moved to Corriverton. She said she knew nothing of his past, until three weeks ago, when she learned that her land at Lot 77 Corriverton Housing Scheme had been sold to three individuals by the man.
By that time, Crawford said, the man had fled the area, as the three victims found out that they had been swindled. She added that she received another call from the owner of a taxi service in Corriverton, who claimed that the man owed the service $60,000, after he had rented a taxi on credit. As a result, Crawford said she began to “search myself” and discovered that she was missing a quantity of gold jewellery, which she kept at home. She said she made two separate reports, one for each matter, to the Springlands Police Station, but they are yet to locate the suspect.
One of the victims of the bogus property sale, Daniel Persaud, told Stabroek News the man showed him transports for two plots of land. He did not know the man but was introduced to him by a resident who knew he wanted to purchase a plot of land.
Persaud said the man first showed him the transport for the land that he later learnt belonged to a woman with whom the con artist was involved in a relationship.
The man had taken Persaud to see the land and said he wanted $280,000 for it.
Persaud said he did not indicate to the man that he would take the land. Two weeks later, the con artist told him he had another plot of land to sell that already had the foundation and a quantity of blocks on it.
This turned out to be Crawford’s land and the man even showed him her plan. He wanted $400,000 for that plot but Persaud told him he could only pay $350,000 and he agreed.
He asked Persaud to pay the money right away but he responded that he wanted “to wait and do business in front of a lawyer.”
However, the man said he was busy and insisted that he needed the money urgently and he gave him $50,000, for which a receipt was issued.
They then went to meet the lawyer the next day, but he was unavailable and they went to a Justice of Peace (JP) instead. Persaud then paid the con man $250,000 and his father (Persaud’s) signed as witness.
The man later returned to Persaud’s house for the remaining $50,000 and when he told him that he did not have it at the time, the man verbally abused him. He then had to borrow it from a friend to pay him.
About one week later, he was shocked when the JP called to tell him that the man was selling the land to a woman, identified as Surujdai Khan. He charged her $590,000.
Persaud lamented that after the JP and the woman found out about the situation, they should have called the police. He said he informed the police but the man had already disappeared.
He then contacted him on his cell phone to ask him why he sold the land to someone else and he was reportedly told that the woman offered the man more money. The man also promised to refund Persaud but said he was in Georgetown looking after his divorce, from which he was getting “half and half property.”
Persaud, a joiner, said he was having doubts about purchasing the land and should have listened to his “inner voice.”
He also warned people to beware of the man, who has a way of convincing his victims that he was genuine.
Meanwhile, Crawford said that she was told he was somewhere in Georgetown. She was also told that the man was an ex-convict, who had been released four months ago after serving a three-year sentence for robbery-under-arms.
She said she was further made to understand that the man was hiding out in Corriverton, after an arrest warrant was issued for him for some other matter.
