Scamster surfaces in Gangtok a year after Shillong con, nabbed

GANGTOK, 13 Sept: Almost a year since he duped 50 people in Meghalaya, Daniel Hawk was finally traced to Gangtok by the police and picked up Sadar Thana personnel here at around 1 p.m. on 11 September. 29-year-old Daniel Hawk, who uses the alias “Sathyan Nair”, was picked up at the nick of time just as he was getting ready to repeat his con game here in Gangtok. Some locals, it is informed, had already shown interest in his proposal of setting up a call centre and medical transcription business here and had even agreed to finance him. In fact he had already found a place at DPH Road for an “office” and a local willing to advance him Rs. 50,000.
It needs to be added here that the police were ably assisted by a local businessman, Ajay Agarwal of Deokaran Brothers, who had been approached by the accused. Daniel, it is informed, had approached him with his plans to set up a call centre cum transcription house and had floated a proposal for finances. He had also reportedly prepared a ‘project report’ detailing the number of computers and other items that would be needed for the business. Mr. Agarwal informs that Daniel claims to hail from Kerala and is a very smooth and articulate talker.
The Shillong police have been on the lookout for Daniel ever since he has been booked for cheating and criminal breach of trust at the Sohra police station of Shillong. The criminal case there was registered on 28 March, 2011. However, Daniel is informed to have gone missing in October 2010 after duping and cheating at least 50 persons of their money and salaries. It is informed that 50 people jointly filed the FIR against him in Shillong in March last year.
The accused had reportedly opened a call centre in Shillong and had not paid his clients or staff employed there under him. His business also extended to medical transcriptions, a business model which has been projected by many scamsters all over the country. Not being a local of Meghalaya, he was not eligible for the requisite documents under the Companies Act to open up a business there. Local NGOs of Shillong had found him out and reported him to the police. 
After going missing in Meghalaya, his whereabouts had remained unknown till he surfaced in Sikkim on 14 August and approached a local businessman with his business idea. He had been putting up at a lodge here with his two and a half year old daughter. The Sadar police picked him up after they received a requisition from the Shillong police. He was produced before the Magistrate on 11 September and remanded to 5 days police custody. This was in order to provide time for Shillong police to come to Gangtok and take him back. The police from Sohra police station arrived today at around 1 p.m. at Sadar police and were asked to get a transit remand from the magistrate which is necessary for transferring Daniel back to Meghalaya.