The police on Friday arraigned one Dominic Shara in a Wuse Zone 2 Senior Magistrates’ Court in Abuja for allegedly defrauding people under false pretence.
Shara of Akinjide Plaza, Dutse, Abuja, is facing a four-count charge of criminal conspiracy, joint act, obtaining money under false pretence and criminal intimidation.
The prosecutor, Adeniyi Oyeyemi, told the court that the complainant, Adolphus Anum of Surulere, Lagos, wrote a petition to the Inspector General of Police on October 17 on the alleged offence.
Oyeyemi said the defendant conspired with others now at large and collected N10, 996,000 from the complainant and 35 others.
He said the suspect had posed as a travel agent and collected the money, promising to take them to Jerusalem on Christian pilgrimage before this year’s Easter.
He said the defendant failed to take the complainant and others to the holy land as promised and did not refund their money.
The prosecutor added that when they demanded for refund, the defendant threatened to “deal” with them.
He said the offence contravened Sections 96, 79 and 396 of the Penal Code as well as Section 1(a) of the Advance Free Fraud and Fraud-related Act.
The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Senior Magistrate, Teribo Jim, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N500,000 with one reliable surety in like sum.
He ordered that the surety must be a civil servant residing within the court’s jurisdiction and adjourned the case till December 12 for hearing.