Suspects sending airtime, money to victims for fraud arrested

The Oyo State Police Command has arrested some suspected fraudsters who specialise in getting phone numbers and account details of unsuspecting members of the public for fraud.

The members of the syndicate include a landlord who helps the syndicate gather information such as contact addresses, phone numbers and other details about their victims, and a fake Chief Superintendent of Police.

Consequently, the syndicate would unleash their fake policeman and force their victims who had received money and airtime on their bank accounts and phone numbers to pay what they had received in double.

A member of the syndicate, Olorunfemi Olakunle, was said to have approached the state command to report that he was abducted by kidnappers while claiming to have briefly lost his memory when he boarded a taxi from Apata to Dugbe in the state.

He was also said to have claimed N9.3m was transferred from his account to different beneficiaries, adding that his abductors used his mobile phone to purchase airtime worth about N125,000 for others.

The command said its anti-robbery squad apprehended three supposed beneficiaries, including Babatunde Adebayo, 57; Stephen Adesope, 34; and Adeleke Adejoke, 33, in Lagos State.

While interviewing the parties involved, the complainant, Olakunle, made a U-turn and confessed that everything was a scam masterminded by another suspect, identified as Danjuma Adams.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Adewale Osifeso, explained to our correspondent on Sunday that, “They had to create a hoax out of the situation, and they sent money and airtime to unsuspecting victims whom he and the syndicate got through association or genuine business transactions.

“Investigations also revealed that Azubuike Agu, 38, was able to get the details of his ‘target’, Adejoke F, by approaching her at a boutique in Lagos under the guise of patronising and initiating a genuine sales transaction, while another syndicate member, Amusat Ibrahim, a landlord resident in Lagos, got the details of his victim by association as a fellow resident in the area.

“Sequel to these, voluntary confessions were obtained from Azubuikwe and Danjuma, leading to the arrest of accomplices: Taiwo Segun, 37, and Amusat Alaba, 47 years, whose duties were to provide phone numbers and account details of their unsuspecting victims by initiating conceited relationships and false acquaintances.”

PUNCH Metro, however, learnt that the investigation had yet to be concluded and that efforts were being intensified to arrest other members of the syndicate.