Salesman arrested after K60,000 fraud scam rocks Kundiawa business

A major fraud case has shaken Kundiawa after a salesman tricked a local business manager into paying K60,000 for a fake order.

Simbu Provincial Police Commander [PPC] Superintendent Mazuc Rubiang confirmed that Benjamin Simon, from Kesa Village in Henganofi District, Eastern Highlands Province, was charged after allegedly deceiving David Lin, the manager of HTK Trading in Kundiawa.

Police said Simon convinced Lin to pay K60,000 for a supposed sausage delivery from Hagen Butchery. However, instead of depositing the money into the company’s account, Simon transferred it into his own account, later withdrawing the funds from an ATM in Goroka and spending it at various shops.

When Lin discovered the fraud, he reported the matter to police in Chuave and Goroka. A search operation was launched, but Simon initially evaded arrest. Police detained his wife and sisters during the manhunt, after which relatives persuaded him to surrender.

Superintendent Rubiang said Simon was taken to Kundiawa Police Station, where he was formally charged, cautioned, informed of his constitutional rights under Section 42(2) of the PNG Constitution, and locked up.