Conman arrested in Sikkim

Gangtok, April 16 (IANS) A man accused of duping many people posing as a customs official and through internet scams was arrested here Thursday, police said.

Jigme Bhutia, 33, of Pedong, Kalimpong, was picked up from Deorali area in Gangtok Thursday on the complaint of five youths who claimed that Bhutia had cheated them of Rs.1 lakh, police said.

Though this is the first formal complaint against Bhutia, he is said to have cheated many people. He is said to have cheated a woman of Rs.60,000, which he returned after she threatened to file a police complaint, police said.

Posing as an intelligence officer, Jigme Bhutia is also said to have taken Rs.15,000 from a central paramilitary force trooper posted here. There was no formal complaint filed in the case, police said.

Investigations are underway, though no money has been recovered so far, police said.