A citizen from the United States, who is suspected of having pulled off a spectacular real estate flimflam in Costa Rica, was arrested by the National Police of Nicaragua during Holy Week after a daring escape from a private hospital where he was in custody.

According to a news report filed by Fatima Torres Gonzalez of El Nuevo Diario, a national newspaper in Nicaragua, Cyrus Anoushirvan Sepher was detained by the National Police as he was trying to make travel arrangements to return to the U.S. As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star:

Cyrus Anoushirvan Sepher, a 51-year old male with Iranian roots, arrived from California in May of 2014. He had an arrest warrant in Costa Rica, and thus he was promptly arrested at the Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) upon arrival […] various investors in Costa Rica have complained that Mr. Anoushirvan and an accomplice were involved in a series of fraudulent property transfers in places such as Alajuela, Guapiles, Quepos, and Santa Ana; in fact, a victim mentioned in court papers is a fellow expat from the United States, Dan Cohanarieh.

The alleged fraudster spent nearly a year at the CIMA Hospital in Escazu, a private hospital that is not far from the capital city. Those who have filed civil and criminal complaints against him have also accused him of malingering so that he could avoid pretrial detention and stage his escape. To a certain extent, their suspicions proved right.

According to El Nuevo Diario, the Iranian-American absconded from CIMA Hospital under the cover of darkness as Costa Rica was preparing to observe Good Friday. Law enforcement reports indicate that the suspected defrauder wore a policeman’s uniform even as officers from Fuerza Publica, the national police force of Costa Rica, started their pursuit. It so happens that the fugitive was once married in Costa Rica to a woman from Nicaragua, and thus he was able to get enough paperwork to head to that country.

Once in Nicaragua, the absconder made a beeline for the U.S. Embassy in Managua, where he obtained a passport with the intention of eluding capture by Central American law enforcement; nonetheless, judicial agents in Costa Rica had already transacted an INTERPOL red notice, similar to the one filed against Paul Watson, the Canadian founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

Once detained by the National Police in Nicaragua, the runaway suspect was surprised to learn that an attorney from Costa Rica had traveled north to furnish information to law enforcement. Officials in Nicaragua are now aware of the charges against the alleged gouger: He reportedly swindled a group of investors from Costa Rica and the U.S. with phony real estate deals. Many of the victims are Jewish and Muslim faithful who share Middle Eastern roots with their suspected scammer.

The complaints against Mr. Anoushirvan allege that he was involved in sham real estate transactions on land situated along Route 27, which connects San Jose with the Central Pacific Coast. According to court filings, the investors lost between $8 to $11 million. There’s also the unresolved matter of who will pay for the thousands of dollars in medical care that he accumulated after staying at the CIMA Hospital for months.