Two graduates of Educational Technology of Benue state university have been arrested by the Niger state police command for alleged ATM scandals.
Nigeriacrime.com gathered that the duo Aver Wese, 31 years from Obudu, Cross Rivers state and Godwin Deor, 30 years of Ankpa, Kogi state were arrested last Thursday by Police operatives attached to Suleja Area Command while trying to defraud an innocent female victim at the premises of a commercial bank in Suleja town.
Confirming the development, the
Spokesman of the Niger State Police Command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun said the suspects were arrested at Old NEPA roundabout, Suleja after they attempted to swap a female victim’s ATM card at a commercial bank ATM gallery in Suleja after pretending fruitlessly trying to help her withdraw some money from her Account.
“The victim discovered the attempt and raised an alarm while the suspects immediately entered a Toyota Corolla vehicle with Reg. No. YAB 267 CW and zoomed off from the scene.
“Consequently, the Police patrol team was alerted and trailed the vehicle and the vehicle was intercepted at Old NEPA roundabout, Suleja and the two suspects were arrested while the driver, David Therma abandoned the vehicle and escaped,” the PPRO declared.
DSP Abiodun said the duo during interrogation had confessed that both of them came from Lokoja and met David at Zuba in Abuja who was said to have taken the vehicle from an Uber driver in Abuja.
He said they confessed that the trio moved to a commercial bank in Suleja where they met the female victim who was having difficulties in operating an ATM during which the suspects spied on her PIN and offered to help her as the machine could not dispense.
He said in the process, the card was ejected and they attempted to swap her ATM card during which the victim noticed the act and raised an alarm.
“The suspects claimed that they were graduates of Educational Technology from Benue State University and that they had been carrying out such nefarious activities for the past five months during which they claimed to have withdrawn about #170,000 from other victims’ accounts in Nasarawa State, about #90,000 withdrawn through victims’ cards in Lokoja while the similar attempt in Suleja was not successful,” the PPRO remarked.
Exhibits recovered from them according to the police include A Toyota Corolla vehicle with Reg. No. YAB 267 CW, Nine ATM cards, One POS machine and
One flash drive.
He said the suspects are still undergoing investigation at SCID Minna and that effort is ongoing to apprehend the fleeing David Therma.
The state Commissioner of Police, Shawulu Ebenezer Danmamman called on members of the public to be more careful at ATM galleries and be more security cautious at other public places to avoid being defrauded by these unsuspecting criminals.