The Enugu State Police Command on Wednesday said it had arrested four suspected fraudsters who specialise in swapping Automated Teller Machine cards for defrauding a 63-year-old man of N495,000.
The suspects, three males and one female between the ages of 18 and 36 were said to have been arrested on May 6, 2023, around 4.30pm by operatives attached to the command’s Hawk Tactical Squad in collaboration with troops of the Nigerian Air Force Enugu at Emene behind Emenite.
A statement by the command’s spokesperson, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, gave the names of the suspects as Michael Sopuruchi, Osinachi Godwin, Moses Ani and Chika Nwoko.
The statement read, “The suspects were arrested, while escaping to their criminal hideout in Emene, Enugu, after they fraudulently stole the ATM card and Personal Identification Number of an unsuspecting 63-year-old male victim, while pretending to assist him to withdraw money from a commercial Bank ATM along the Ogui Road, Enugu.
“Immediately after, the suspects used the card and PIN to withdraw the total of N495,000 from the victim’s account.”
The PPRO said the suspects had confessed to the crime during interrogation, saying they have carried out many other criminal acts of ATM card swapping and fraud within the Enugu metropolis.
He noted that four banks’ ATM cards, including that of the victim, were recovered from them.
He said the suspects were on Tuesday arraigned in court and remanded in Enugu Custodial Centre while the trial magistrate adjourned the case till June 7, 2023, for further hearing and ordered that the case file be sent to the Attorney-General for legal advice.
Ndukwe said the state Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Ammani, commended the operatives for busting and bringing the criminal syndicate to book.
