Bhubaneswar, May 13: A 33-year-old Ghana national was arrested here today in a cyber fraud case worth Rs 40 lakh.

Annan Andrew Essein, a resident of Accra in Ghana, was arrested from Kanan Vihar after he landed in the city yesterday to collect Rs 10 lakh from the complainant, an engineering pass out.

Police said the accused, along with his two associates, had collected Rs 40 lakh in phases on the pretext of investing huge amount of money for economic development of the poor in the country. They had collected the money from the complainant, Laxman Badaik, 25, between December 2013 and April 2014.

In December last year, Badaik had received an email from one Alex Druce, who impersonated as a Uganda-based politician.

The mail said that Druce wanted to invest huge amount of money in India. Later, Badaik replied him seeking details of the investment plan and subsequently Druce sent one of his associates as his personal assistant.

“Badaik and a friend went to the Mumbai airport to meet Druce’s assistant, who asked him to give Rs 1 lakh,” said a police official.

In the next four months, Badaik gave Druce Rs 40 lakh through a number of bank transactions. During this period, Essein acted as an agent of Druce. But a few months later, both Druce and his other associate switched off their mobile phones. However, Essein was still in touch with the complainant.

“Essein demanded another Rs 10 lakh from Badaik on the pretext of the final deal for the investment plan. Subsequently, the complainant informed the police, who laid a trap to arrest the Ghana national,” said a police official.

“A case under several sections of the IPC, including 420 (cheating), 419 (punishment for cheating by impersonation), and sections 66(A), (C) and (D) of the Information Technology Act, has been registered and one of the accused was arrested,” said inspector in charge of Infocity police station Bijayini Singh.