The operatives of Rapid Response
Squad of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested the suspected ring leader
and architect of several bank frauds in Lagos State.
The suspected fraudster, Ajisafe
Olugbenga, 47, from Osun State, was allegedly the mastermind who has been
fingered in several bank frauds.
Ajisafe, an ex – banker, who is
popularly known as Harrison among his gang, was arrested on Tuesday after he
was mentioned as the initiator of sims swap deal at a network provider’s outlet
in Surulere, Lagos and Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Ajisafe had before his arrest on
Tuesday being on the run over his involvement in a N2 million fraud in one of
the old generation banks in Lagos State sometime in April, 2016.
The suspect, who is regarded as the
chief distributor of roles in all the bank frauds, was alleged to have a vast
network with insiders in banks.
Ajisafe was also alleged to have
exploited his vast network with insiders in banks to procure bank details of
high net worth customers. It is this information such as account balance,
account number and phone number of the owner and e – mail that the gang work on
to perpetrate the fraud.
According to sources, the gang
blocks or swaps the sim of the bank customer so that he or she does not receive
the transaction on the account, which were mostly perpetrated on a weekend when
the money were withdrawn in tranches.
Before this, the bank insider, who
has his or her cut on every transaction, would have helped the gang to increase
the customer’s withdrawal limit.
Sources disclosed that when the
suspected fraudsters were arrested, several print outs of customers details
were found with group. It was further revealed that the balances on all the
print outs was over N800 million.
Those arrested for prosecution in
that case included Michael Adeoye, Ayo Olalekan, Israel Ochenehi, Adegbenro
Opeyemi, Obong Udeme – Obot and Peter Ezurike.
The fraud detection in 2016
instigated the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni to convoke
a meeting of bank executives with analysis of strategies adopted by the
fraudsters.
It was further disclosed that Mr.
Owoseni had urged banks in Lagos State to raise the bar of their anti - fraud
internal mechanism.
Ajisafe latest offence was the
recruitment of three suspects through which some sim cards belonging to a
particular network (name withheld) were being swapped and used for some of the
gangs’ bank fraud.
Two of the suspects recruited by
Ajisafe for the sim swap; Shamsudeen Olalekan, 35 and Nicholas Egbele, were
arrested few days before Ajisafe was picked up on Tuesday.
Also arrested with them was a staff
of a popular network provider in an outlet in Abeokuta who has been assisting
the gang in sim swapping while another collaborator is said to be on the run.
Olalekan and Egbede had disclosed
that they were promised N20,000 for every sim card swapped for the gang.
They also disclosed to the police
that Ajisafe upon supplying him their passport photographs procured national ID
cards, with names of bank’s account holder. This is to be accompanied with
sworn affidavit on loss of sim card.
Sources revealed that several
details of bank customers sent via sms to Ajisafe’s line by some people
believed to be banks’ insiders have been retrieved from his phone.
The fraudsters according to sources
met in Idi - Araba, Mushin, National Filling Station in Ikeja Along, Kotangoa
Market, Alimosho to perfect their plans whenever they have jobs and to share
money.
Ajisafe in a statement to the police
said, “about year ago, Joe Calabar approached me that he needed someone in …
Bank to increase limit (daily), I spoke to a friend Chima, who was in … Bank.
Both of us met Israel at a joint in Skakhor.
The following day, we were all to
meet to give a form to Chima. I noticed that too many calls were coming on my
line, so I didn’t turn up for the meeting. It was later that I heard RRS has
arrested Chima”.
Confirming the incident, the Police
PPRO, ASP Olarinde Famous Cole, said that there would be no hiding place for
criminals in Lagos State adding that officers of the command are at alert to
nip crime in the bud.
The four suspects have been
transferred to the SCID, Panti for further investigations.
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