T

he Jakarta Police are holding a couple for questioning in relation to a 60-year-old retiree who was conned out of Rp 3.5 billion (US$326,411) through an Internet scam.

'€œWe are questioning a Nigerian man and his Indonesian wife to find out if they are connected to a larger Internet scam syndicate,'€ Jakarta Police cybercrime unit head Adj. Sr. Comr. Audie Latuheru said at a press conference on Wednesday.

The Nigerian suspect was identified as OCK while his Indonesian wife was identified as SWK. According to the police, both were detained after the victim, identified as MH, filed a police report.

OCK contacted the victim through social media platform tagged.com in mid-November 2012. The suspect allegedly introduced himself as Miss Alif, the lawyer of Saif Al-Islam Qaddafi, the son of the late Libyan dictator Col.Qaddafi.

The suspect claimed that Gaddafi'€™s family members were in dire financial straits and he needed the victim to hide US$15.5 million in his bank account to prevent the Libyan government from confiscating it. He promised MH 30 percent of the booty in return for his help.

MH sent Rp 3.5 billion in installments thinking it would facilitate the transfer of the larger amount. The victim'€™s suspicions were aroused when, after seven months, he still had not received any money. He informed the police in May.