Police in Anambra state said it has arrested six suspected criminals, who specialised in hacking into people’s bank account to siphon their money. According to the command public relations officer, SP Haruna Mohammed, in.a statement issue to newsmen in Awka, on Wednesday said; On the 23/3/2020 at about 4:50pm, following intelligence report, Police operatives attached to B’ Division Awka arrested at UNIZIK temporary site, Awka, five suspected members of a notorious syndicate who specializes in stealing phones from unsuspecting passengers in commercial vehicles and using the handsets to hack into bank accounts of the victims to siphon their money. “The suspects are, Uche Louis ‘m’ aged 21years from Mbieri Imo State, Junior Abamu ‘m’ aged 25years from Uromi Edo State, Chinemelem Anugwam ‘m’ aged 21years from Mbano Imo State, Agaro Afo ‘m’ aged 26years from Ideze, Delta State and Abraham Patrick ‘m’ aged 25years from Obubra Cross River State respectively. Mohammed said, their arrest was sequel to an earlier arrest of a syndicate member one Nkem Emmanuel ‘m’ aged 26yrs, of Agbor-Obi in Agbor Delta, at Aroma junction Awka, with a Nokia 3.2 android phone valued thirty seven thousand naira (#37,000), which he allegedly stole from his co-passenger, one Okafor Ebere ‘f’ while traveling in a commercial tricycle, popularly known as Keke Napep. According to him, exhibits recovered from the suspects includes twenty three (23) assorted cell phones, thirteen memory cards, dried leave suspected to be Canabis sativa, Cordeine Syrup, assorted drugs and Cash sum of one hundred and two thousand naira (N102,000) only. Meanwhile, many victims were contacted and they have come forward to identify both suspects and their property, amongst the victim was one Ohaka Uchechi ‘m’ whose Infinix hot-8 phone was stolen on 16/3/2020 by the principal suspect, Emmanuel Nkem ‘m’, inside a commercial tricycle at UNIZIK temporary site. He explain that the victim had turned away his face when his ‘co-passenger’ the suspect coughed repeatedly in his direction, oblivious of the fact that it was a ploy to distract him in order to steal his phone, which was eventually used to siphon the sum of eight hundred and fifty one thousand naira (#851,000) from the victim’s UBA and Access bank accounts.
He added however, that all the suspects have made voluntary confessional statements and would be charged to court upon conclusion of investigation. Finally, he said the State Commissioner of Police Mr. John B. Abang, has enjoined the Public whose handsets or other valuables were stolen through similar modus to report at B’ Division Awka for possible identification and claim their property.
