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Romance scam: 30-year-old Nigerian man arrested in South Africa for allegedly defrauding elderly woman of N49m on Tinder

A 30-year-old Nigerian national arrested for his involvement in a romance scam appeared at the Stellenbosch Magistrate’s Court in Cape Town, South Africa on Monday, July 25, 2022.

Roland Enuwese Esosa allegedly defrauded an elderly woman he met on the dating app Tinder of R2 million.

He was arrested last week Wednesday in Northgate Mall in Roodepoort, Gauteng before being brought to Stellenbosch. He allegedly pretended to be an American engineer by the name of Larry Cole. Once Esosa had developed a relationship, he made up a story about why he needed money. The victim subsequently parted with R2 million over a six-month period.

He faces charges of fraud and money laundering. He was the subject of a multi-disciplinary investigation led by Captain Bernard Adams of the Stellenbosch Detective division, John Alexander, lead investigator at Royal Investigations and Sergeant Allister Marajh at Stellenbosch Vispol division.