MADINAH: The police here have arrested an expatriate for collecting SR1.7 billion from Saudi citizens for bogus gold mining, agriculture and other commercial operations in an African country.

The African expatriate, 59, had worked with accomplices in the Kingdom and abroad to dupe unsuspecting people to invest in his schemes. He had also used magic to fool his victims, according to a report in a local publication on Wednesday.

His victims were from Madinah, Jeddah, Amlaj and Yanbu and had given him money through checks, electronic transfers and bonds, said Col. Fahad Al-Ghannam, spokesman of Madinah police, in a statement.

Madinah’s police chief Brig. Gen. Abdulhadi Al-Shahrani had led the operations to arrest the suspect. It was discovered that the man had previously been involved in fraudulent activities in Madinah and Jeddah.

Al-Ghannam said the man had been arrested while trying to buy a gold detector to convince his victims that he was genuine. When his house was searched, police officers found large amounts of incense and other powders, tapes, tied up ropes and rosaries, ID cards for citizens, salary slips, copies of commercial registers, bank statements and checks made out to him.

The man had used several African people to help raise the money from his victims. One of his suspected accomplices, a 46-year-old man, had been involved in bringing in millions.

The items used to perform his magic have now been gathered as evidence in conjunction with the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. A charge sheet is being drawn up.