Police seek local man over disappearance of $30,000
By Rosli Abidin Yahya 

Royal Brunei Police are looking for a local man who may be able to help them solve several cases of criminal breach of trust. He allegedly disappeared with $30,000 cash he allegedly solicited from some people here.

The alleged victims included a businessman who claimed that the local man had vanished with his $25,000 which was supposedly for helping finance a prepaid water meter card project.

The businessman alleged he gave the person $25,000 last October 15, 2002 towards the project.

The man disappeared after receiving the money. He was supposed to go to China to order the products to be supplied to a relevant agency here.

The businessman alleged: "He gave me a receipt signed by him on behalf of his company.

"However, I have been looking for him till today as he seemed to disappear without trace," the businessman said, adding that he had lodged a police report sometime this year.

The man claimed he was about to get the contract to supply IC Smartcard Prepaid Water Meter technology to a relevant agency here.

"He assured me of the project since the prepaid water meters are currently being utilised in more than 60 cities serving 0.1 million consumers.

"He also mentioned that the product is being utilised by US, Britain, Colombia, Holland, South Korea and Egypt, while product accreditation came from USA and British companies," he said.

The businessman added as a result of the vanishing act of the man with his money, he was facing difficulties and had to put several of his projects on hold.

"I could not pay my workers for the last two months because the money is supposed to be rolled onto other projects.

"Unfortunately the person had upset my company's schedule," he alleged.

Apart from him, the person allegedly took deposits from some pensioners to the tune of $5,000.

Using the same modus operandi, he allegedly collected money from pensioners as shares towards the prepaid water meter card project.

The same person had also allegedly swindled a concert organiser of some $5,000 worth of concert tickets which he was supposed to sell for the company.

"He vanished with the tickets and the proceeds from the sold tickets," a spokesperson for the company said.

"He made our life difficult as we still owe people some money because of his vanishing act."

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin