By Neal Keeling

Copyright manchestereveningnews

A man says he lost £2,500 in a sophisticated gems scam carried out in Manchester. Somto Orajuba claims criminals posing as a ‘diplomat’ and his staff member – and a bogus ‘jeweller’ – swindled him out of the cash, which he took from his savings. The 29-year-old was first contacted after putting a house up for sale online before he was gradually lured into a deal to make quick profit on precious stones. Police are investigating. The scam echoes rackets in 2013 and 2016, in which taxi drivers in Manchester and Bolton – and car owners in Longsight – were ripped off. Never miss a story with the MEN’s daily Catch Up newsletter – get it in your inbox by signing up here Property developer Mr Orajuba, from Bury , said it began on Friday, September 5. He said: “I got a message on Facebook from a guy. He had seen I was selling a house in Burnley and wanted to view it, so we arranged a viewing on Monday, September 8. “He arrived 40 minutes late and apologised. He was about 5ft 5in and a Zambian guy. He was in his 50s and well dressed.” Mr Orajuba said the man offered him £20,000 over the asking price for the property. “He told me the reason he wanted to do that was because he had a diplomat boss from Zambia, who lived in Manchester and was buying a lot of properties,” he added. The two, Mr Orajuba said, agreed to meet in Manchester, with the man’s boss accompanying him. It was agreed a deposit would be paid and the property would be taken off the market. “The arrangement was that I met him at Victoria Station on September 10 at 11am,” he said. “I was waiting for over an hour. He eventually arrived, apologised in the car and said he needed to go to a jewellers in the city centre. “He pulled out two ruby stones from his pocket and said he was looking to sell them. He said he was hoping to negotiate a fee with the jeweller and wanted me to help him.” Mr Orajuba said they parked up before meeting the ‘jeweller’ – a white man in his 60s with a ‘soft Mancunian accent’, wearing a suit and tie and carrying a briefcase – outside a store. Mr Orajuba said he looked like a ‘proper top businessman’ and was standing outside a legitimate jewellery shop. The ‘jeweller’, he said, pulled out a set of scales and weighed the ‘rubies’. “He examined them and said they were ‘really good’,” Mr Orajuba added. The ‘jeweller’ offered £60,000 and £72,000, but those offers were declined, he said. Eventually, a price of £78,000 was agreed. “They shook hands with me as a witness,” he added. The ‘jeweller’, Mr Orajuba said, pulled out ‘about £20,000’ in cash as a deposit and told them to return in an hour for the rest. “In the end, he put the cash back in his briefcase and they agreed to meet in an hour to swap all the money for the rubies,” Mr Orajuba said. “We then drove to the AC Hotel in Ancoats to meet the so-called ‘diplomat’ and his brother.” The ‘diplomat’, he said, was in his late 40s to early 50s, while his brother appeared to be in his early 40s. Mr Orajuba said both were Zambians. Sat in the reception area, he said the men discussed the purchase of Mr Orajuba’s property, as well as the sale of the gems. He said the ‘diplomat’ was angry at his involvement in the sale of the stones and an argument ensued. The ‘diplomat’, he said, was told the amount offered for the rubies was £50,000. Mr Orajuba said he was privately told by the ‘diplomat’s’ staff member they could spilt the remaining £28,000 between them. But, to secure the gems, he said he was told they needed to raise £5,000 as a deposit – and as a sign of good faith – before they were handed over by the ‘diplomat’, as the current owner, and sold on to the ‘jeweller’. “I had to find £2,500 in cash and use my savings,” Mr Orajuba said. “He found another £2,500.” On Tuesday (September 16), met the man again at Victoria station. The ‘jeweller’ was contacted and told to get the cash for the rubies ready. The £5,000 was handed to the ‘diplomat’ and the gems were passed over in an envelope. Mr Orajuba expected the ‘diplomat’s’ staff member to collect the cash for the rubies from the ‘jeweller’, but he disappeared. Mr Orajuba went into the store the ‘jeweller’ was stood outside when they originally met, but staff said he wasn’t employed there. Mr Orajuba has now been left £2,500 out of pocket, with two fake rubies. “I have never been scammed before in my life, it was very sophisticated,” he said. “All of them were acting, arguing amongst each other. The detail was what shocked me. It was like a movie.” A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: “An incident of alleged fraud was reported to us on September 16, 2025. We passed this to our Action fraud team.” Action Fraud will review the case and allocate to the appropriate force. The case has also been passed to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau based with the City of London Police.