After 70 countries, conman’s globetrotting ends before forex runs dry

This MBA graduate from IMT-Ghaziabad has been to over 70 countries in the last few years, and can speak in six foreign tongues. But such hectic travel usually comes at a price, something that — in this case — had to be paid by others.

This MBA graduate from IMT-Ghaziabad has been to over 70 countries in the last few years, and can speak in six foreign tongues. But such hectic travel usually comes at a price, something that — in this case — had to be paid by others.

The MBA graduate who has been to over 70 countries in the last few years, can speak in six foreign languages. (Shutterstock/Representative image)

Police said 32- year-old Snigdha Sourav Dass was passionate about touring the world, but didn’t have the means to do so. When his regular sources of income seemed unable to provide for his needs, he allegedly decided to make some extra money through fraud.

Dass would rent an office at Connaught Place for Rs 500 an hour and seek foreign currency from forex agencies. After finalising the exchange rate, he would ask their executives to deliver the money to his office — promising to pay them in Indian rupees on the spot. However, once Dass had the money in his possession, he would allegedly sneak out of his office’s back door and make good his escape.

Dass finally landed in police custody on Sunday, about two weeks after Sanjay Dutt Sharma — a field executive with VLK Forex — lodged a complaint against him.

Joint commissioner of police (crime) Ravindra Yadav alleged that Dass asked the forex agency to bring $5,000 to his office at Connaught Place, and then pulled his usual trick. “Dass told the delivery boy to wait until he got the foreign currency checked. Later, when repeated attempts to call him went in vain, Sharma approached us with a complaint,” he said. After the incident, Dass reportedly went straight to Russia – where he spent a week with his friends. Upon his return, he headed to Goa for the BRICS summit to be held in October. “The police team traced each move of his, and finally arrested him,” said Yadav.

Dass – who is fluent in Russian, Spanish, Italian, Thai, Hebrew and Portuguese – earlier worked as a system analyst with Accenture, CISCO Systems and the International SOS panel of the National Geographic Channel. “During questioning, the suspect revealed that a Russian national he met at a bar in Khan Market last year introduced him to the art of making quick money,” said Yadav.