CRIME Bank manager, 4 others in police net over N40.6m fraud

Following a report of internet fraud, the Akwa Ibom State Police Command has arrested some suspects including the Regional Manager of a new generation bank overseeing the south-south and southeast region for hacking into a customer’s account and fraudulently withdrawing N40,672,000 (forty million, six hundred and seventy two thousand Naira).

The state’s Commissioner of Police, Don Awunah, stated this at a press briefing in the Police Headquarters, Ikot Akpan Abia, Uyo the state capital.

Awunah said the arrested suspects have confessed to committing the crime and have been charged to court accordingly and remanded in prison custody.

“Our fight against crime is not only limited to cultism, murder and kidnap for ransom or criminality under any guise. This would not be tolerated in Akwa Ibom State. To this end, following a report of internet fraud/hacking, the Akwa Ibom State Police Command has arrested the Regional Manager of a new generation bank covering the south-south and southeast region for hacking into a customer’s account and fraudulently withdrawing N40,672,000 million.

“Four persons were arrested in connection with the crime, and upon interrogation, the arrested suspects owned up to the commission of the crime. They have accordingly been charged to court and remanded in prison custody. The exhibit recovered from them comprised mainly of the documents showing the transfer of the money,” the commissioner said.

Furthermore, Awunah said two female robbery suspects who specialised in robbing people of phones, money and jewelry, using motorcycles and armed with daggers and other harmful objects, were apprehended shortly after robbing one Chukwuemeka Ikeh in Ikot Ekpene area of the state.

He said the suspects dispossessed their victim of the sum of N400,000 and four telephone handsets.

He said they were arrested through one of their phones that dropped unnoticed while hurrying out of the scene after the robbery, adding that the two female suspects confessed to the crime and have been arraigned in court.

According to him, several robbery suspects, cultists and persons in unlawful possession of firearms have been arrested across the state and have been charged to court accordingly.

The commissioner noted also that the two Turkish nationals earlier kidnapped in the state have been rescued and that the suspects have been arrested.