Australian citizen arrested for alleged job fraud

The Ernakulam Rural police arrested an Australian citizen on charges of cheating a job aspirant of lakhs of rupees by promising a job in Australia.

The accused, identified as Zakiyullah Zhiahmed Parker, 58, was arrested by the Thadiyittaparambu police. The victim, a woman, who had been working in the United Arab Emirates and had at one point lived in a rented accommodation at Pukkattupady.

According to the police, the two became acquainted through social media. The accused claimed to be the CEO of a reputed company in Australia and promised her a job there, collecting ₹5.8 lakh in the process. When the promised job did not materialise, she realised she had been cheated and lodged a police complaint.

During investigation, the police discovered that the accused was in India, moving between various locations to avoid detection. He was eventually traced to Indore, where he was found living in a luxury apartment. Though the flat appeared locked from the outside, the police managed to enter and take him into custody. A laptop, mobile phones, and several documents were seized from him.

The police said he was preparing for another fraud and had fabricated a fake Aadhaar card under the name Shubham Sharma when he was caught.

A team led by Assistant Superintendent of Police Hardik Meena and comprising inspector K.N. Manoj, sub-inspector N.K. Jacob, senior civil police officer K.K. Shibu, and civil police officer Mithun Mohan made the arrest.