The Intelligence Response Team IRT of the Force Intelligence Bureau( FIB) of the Nigeria Police Force has arrested a suspected notorious and serial fake bank alert fraudster Olaogun Babatunde for allegedly using fake bank alert to defraud a Nigerian of N5million and another N4.6 million for the purchase of laptop computers.
Olaogun,37, popularly known by friends as evil genius had been on the wanted lists of the police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) , for the same crime of generating fake credit alert using it to defraud unsuspecting victims.
The suspect who is in his mid 40s was previously arrested by the IRT Commander DCP Tunji Disu led Radip Response Squad (RRS) of the of the Lagos State Police Command in 2018 when he was alleged to have generated and used fake bank alert to buy laptop computers worth N4.6 million for a dealer, Kevin Otenuga.
According to a police source who spoke on the condition of anonymity as he was not supposed to speak with the press,” the fact of the latest arrest of the fraudster in Abuja, was that he met one Chidinma Vivian Okwenna, through social network platform where they interacted and exchanged contacts.
“But on 9th December 2021 he approached Chindima Vivian again at Wuse Zone 2 First Bank for N5 million new notes that his boss was in need of it.Immediately Chindima Vivian rallied round and was able to raise the sum of N3.5 million and handed it over to him and he subsequently generated fake bank credit alert of its equivalent through Zenith Bank acçounts and sent it to her, he took excuse and rushed out of the bank claiming to have meeting with someone. Immediately he stepped out of the bank he blocked the complainant from reaching him both on social platforms and mobile networks.
“Meanwhile, after obtaining his account statement, it was discovered that he was just having just N24, 000 in that Zenith Bank account on that day of transaction Thereafter, all efforts by the fraud victim and complainant to reach him proved abortive until she reported to FIB-IRT Central Base and the suspect was tracked and arrested in Lokoja, Kogi State.
“Upon interrogation, he confessed to have used the fake alert to purchase goods worth billions of naira adding that he had defrauded many traders in Lagos and other cities”
The suspect had been on the wanted list of the EFCC and had undertaken interrogation waiting to be handed over to the Police team by he anti-graft agency for other crimes he reportedly committed
Investigations by our reporter revealed that the suspect is still in the detention facility of the anti-graft agency as he is expected to be sent back to the Police unit for further interrogation and prosecution by the EFCC.
The Inspector- General of Police IGP Usman Alkali Baba, has therefore, warned the public, particularly traders, to be wary of the activities of fraudsters, who use fake bank alert to defraud citizens
He equally assured the nation of dilligent prosecution of all forms of electronic frauds in the nation’s law courts by the Police in his determination to rid the nation of all forms of crimes and criminal activities.
