An aspiring rapper in Australia was arrested after he spent 420,000 pound sterling (equivalent to Rs 4.6 crore), which was accidentally deposited in his bank account, on gold bars, make-up products and designer clothes. He has been sentenced to 18 months in jail.
According to reports, the money that landed in the 24-year-old Abdel Ghadia's account was accidentally transferred by a couple looking to buy a house.
Instagram nutritionist Tara Thorne and her husband Corey wanted to buy a house on Sydney's Northern Beaches but sent the money to the wrong account, Daily Mail reported.
The couple thought they were dealing with the broker Adam Magro over email, but his email ID was hacked.
Tara and Corey were told to transfer the money into Ghadia's account, who then splurged it. The incident took place in 2021.
Ghadia, who goes by the rapper name Slimmy, has pleaded guilty to two counts of handling the proceeds of the crime, but denied any involvement in the money transfer.
He told the police that "just woke up and saw the money" and "wanted to give gold to someone I loved", according to Sydney-based Daily Telegraph.
Ghadia then proceeded to buy almost $600,000 of gold bullion at one store in Sydney, spent more than $110,000 at a separate Brisbane store. He also bought clothes from Uniqlo and make-up from Mecca.
Later, "Slimmy" also alluded to the incident in a post written in rap rhyme: "Detectives making offers asking where'd the MONEY GO. They tapping all my phonecalls but I speak a different LINGO!!"
According to his social media profiles, Ghadia has released albums and performed at several venues.
A book about independent rappers published in 2018, quoted by Daily Mail, described Ghadia as a humble young man who had a great future in music as an artist and writer and vowed to continue supporting his music journey.
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