A suspected fraudster identified as Eze Udo has been arrested by
the men of the Umuahia Central Police Station in Abia State for allegedly
withdrawing the sum of N1,049,545 (one million, forty-nine thousand, and five
hundred and forty-five naira) from his victim's account.
A police source hinted that the manhunt for the suspect started
following a complaint by the victim, Mr. Oka Monday, whom the suspect stole his
ATM card and withdrew the money from his account.
According to the source, the victim who hails from Amachara
Umuopara, a satellite town near the capital city, Umuahia, was making attempts
to withdraw some money from an Automated Teller Machine attached to a
commercial bank in Umuahia, when the suspect offered to assist him due network
failure.
It was learnt that after attempts to withdraw the money failed,
the suspect having memorised the victim's secret pin number, advised him to
follow him (the suspect) to a nearby bank where the transaction might be
easier.
It was gathered that the victim, in the complaint made to the
police, stated that to his amazement, the suspect suddenly absconded with his
ATM card on their way to the second bank and thereafter he got a text messages
indicating that money had been withdrawn from his account.
The police source added that security operatives started the
search for the suspect following intelligence gathered, which paid off when the
suspect was arrested.
He pointed out that during a search in the suspect's house, 13
different ATM cards belonging to different victims were recovered.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adeleye Oyebade, has
confirmed the arrest of the suspect, adding that he has confessed to the crime
and was assisting the police in their investigation.
He warned members of the public to keep all the details
pertaining to their bank accounts and transitions secret from strangers.
He said, "We want members of the public to disregard any
text message or email requesting their account details for the upgrade of their
bank accounts. The case of allowing a totally stranger to offering to help
anybody do a transaction should not be accepted at all.
"We shall continue to partner commercial banks in the state
to ensure the safety of their staff and customers. We will welcome any information
that will help our officers to do their job effectively well."
