Police bust Katsina fraud syndicate, freeze N22m

No fewer than five suspected members of a fraud syndicate accused of defrauding members of the public through fraudulent bank transactions have been apprehended by the Katsina State Police Command.

PUNCH Metro learnt that at least two vehicles, mobile phones, fake identity documents and N2m in cash were recovered during the operation.

The police, in a statement by the Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq, on Sunday, said they also secured a freeze on two bank accounts containing N19m and N3m, bringing the total amount of suspected proceeds of crime under restriction to N22m.

According to the statement, the investigation followed a petition received by the office of the Commissioner of Police on October 27, on behalf of one Nasir Dan-Rimi, who alleged that he entrusted a 23-year-old suspect, Ahmed Abdulhakim, with N10m on October 10 to complete an ongoing transaction.

The police said Abdulhakim allegedly received the money into his personal bank account but absconded and converted the funds to his personal use.

“Upon receiving the funds into his personal bank account, the suspect absconded and converted the entire amount to his personal use, with all attempts to retrieve the money proving abortive,” the statement said.

The police explained that detectives tracked and arrested Abdulhakim, who allegedly confessed during interrogation that the money was connected to a criminal enterprise.

He reportedly disclosed that he and the complainant were both involved in fraudulent activities targeting unsuspecting members of the public.

The investigation subsequently led operatives to a hotel allegedly being used as the syndicate’s operational base, where two other suspects, Abdulrahman Abdullahi, also known as Khaila, 24, and Mustapha Ayuba, 24, were arrested.

The assistant manager of the hotel, identified as Fahad Ahmad, was also arrested for allegedly harbouring the suspects and assisting them in evading security operatives.

The statement said the hotel manager frequently moved the suspects between rooms to frustrate efforts by security operatives to track their activities.

Further investigations reportedly revealed that the three principal suspects possessed multiple fraudulent Bank Verification Numbers and National Identification Numbers, which they used to operate several bank accounts under fictitious identities.

According to the police, Abdulhakim possessed three different BVNs and NINs used to operate 13 bank accounts, while Abdullahi and Ayuba each had three BVNs and NINs linked to six bank accounts.

The suspects also allegedly implicated two other individuals, Saifullahi Idris and Umar Faruq Bala, who were said to have assisted the syndicate in generating fake BVN and NIN documents.

The police said all the arrested suspects had confessed to their respective roles in the alleged criminal activities.

Items recovered during the operation included a Peugeot 206, a Mercedes-Benz C300, Samsung Fold, Redmi, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 13 handsets, alongside N2m in cash.

Other exhibits included nine NIN cards, nine BVN slips bearing fraudulent names, an additional NIN card, nine ATM cards, 14 SIM cards and 12 SIM packs belonging to different telecommunications networks.

The statement, however, identified the original complainant, Aminu Nasir Dan-Rimi, alongside one Surajo Sani Muhammad, as alleged ringleaders of the syndicate, adding that both men were currently at large.

“Intensified efforts are underway to track down and arrest the fleeing suspects,” the police said.

The state Commissioner of Police, Ali Fage, commended the operatives for their diligence and professionalism, reiterating the command’s commitment to tackling financial and cybercrimes in the state.

Fage also warned hotel owners and managers against providing accommodation or other forms of assistance to criminals.

He urged members of the public to report suspicious individuals and financial transactions to the police.