•Demands additional N2m to clear non existing goods
By Evelyn Usman
As Nigerians try to keep up with technology in order to meet up with the rest of the world, same way do criminals devise new means of carrying out their nefarious activities.
From using discarded phone credit cards , banks statements, tax notices and other bills carelessly thrown away after use by unsuspecting Nigerians , to access personal information about one, to cyber crimes where gullible Nigerians have been defrauded of their hard earned money, these criminals would stop at nothing to step up their game when detected.
Attention seems to have gradually shifted from computer hacking known as phising, to accessing details on one’s financial stands through true caller device and facebook.
Another evolving method was exposed recently, following the arrest of a 55-year-old man by the Lagos State Police Command, who allegedly defrauded a retired Commodore of the Nigerian Navy, simply identified as Bayode of N480,000, last Friday.
One would have expected the syndicate to have a second thought over its choice of victim. But no! Rather, it was at the verge of defrauding the retired Commodore of additional N2 million, when detectives stormed the designated point , near the Murtala Mohammed Airport , Ikeja, where one of its suspected members, Alhaji Ibrahim Adesina was arrested.
Information at Crime Guard’s disposal revealed that the unsuspecting retired personnel, received a telephone, where the caller informed him that a relation of his in the United Kingdom was interested in the land he(personnel) displayed for sale.
Few days later, he got a call with a foreign number, where the caller confirmed that he was calling from the UK in respect of the land for sale in Abuja.
Days later, the caller as gathered, called back to inform the personnel that he would also want him to develop the land on his behalf , promising to send some money with which to start the building project.
Twist
Rather than sending the money , Crime Guard learned that the purported UK resident called the personnel again. This time around, he informed that he was sending some consignment to Nigeria and appealed to the personnel to help him clear and sell them. He added that the amount realised from the sales should be used to start up the building project while the retired personnel, should take the interest. By the way, after retiring from the Nigerian navy, the personnel went into business in order to keep body and soul going.
But apprehension set it after a Clearing and Forwarding agent, Adesina , who was said to have specifically mentioned by the UK resident to help clear the goods , demanded for additional N2 million from the retired personnel, after receiving an initial payment of N480,000.
Sensing it could be a scam, the retiree reported the case at the Lagos State Police Command, from where detectives attached to the X Squad were detailed to ascertain the real position of things.
Scam!
Preliminary investigation by detectives revealed that there were no goods as expected, after all. This was confirmed by the Oyo state-born suspect who described the whole scenario as a game.
Pleading to be left off the hook, the suspect blamed his indulgence on his inability to pay the debt he owed.
According to the father of four : “this thing is all a game. There were no goods. I agreed to work for the syndicate because I am owing. Last September, my wife had stroke and I took her to several places for cure. In the process, I needed money but nobody was ready to assist us financially at a point because they felt they had done a lot already.
I took her to a healing home at Ado-Odo, where I was asked to bring N400,000. I went to collect loan but could not pay back . And at the end of the day I lost my angel.
Since her demise, I have been living from hand to mouth. I have an accumulated house rent . I was at a confused state when I was called for this job. I was told to act as a Clearing agent to the officer.
At the end of the day, I demanded for N480,000 which I used to print fake documents on goods that never existed. He paid the money last Friday. Out of it , my share was N120, 000 while other members took the rest .Greed made us to demand for additional N2million naira which we said was meant to clear the goods. He told me to come for it on Monday, only to be arrested when I got there”.
Adesina further revealed that the telephone call purportedly from the UK was from Nigeria. He said “it is all a game. I am just unfortunate to be arrested over N420,000. Others succeeded in getting millions without being arrested. Besides , this is my first time of working for them.
Regret
“I regret my action. I am passionately begging the police to release me , as I have promised to refund the money. This is because my children will be disappointed if they get to know I brought shame to them”.
The post How police nabbed man who defrauded Navy Commodore appeared first on Vanguard News.
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