The Ernakulam Rural police have arrested an Australian citizen on charges of duping a job seeker out of millions of rupees by promising him a job in Australia.
The accused, identified as Zakiyullah Zhiahmed Parker (58), was arrested by Thadiyittaparambu police. The victim, a woman who worked in the United Arab Emirates and at one point lived in rented accommodation in Pukkattupady.
According to the police, the two met 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 million in the process. When the promised job did not materialize, she realized she had been cheated and filed a police report.
During the investigation, the police found that the accused was in India and was moving between different places to avoid detection. He was eventually traced to Indore where he was found in a luxury apartment. Although the apartment appeared locked from the outside, officers managed to get him inside and take him into custody. A laptop, mobile phones and several documents were seized from him.
Police said he was preparing for another scam and when he was caught, he had fabricated a fake Aadhaar card in the name of Shubham Sharma.
A team led by Assistant Superintendent of Police Hardik Meena and comprising Inspector KN Manoj, Sub-Inspector NK Jacob, Senior Civilian Constable KK Shibu and Civilian Constable Mithun Mohan made the arrests.
Published – 12 Feb 2026 19:28 IST