Father, son in police net for cybercrime

Operatives of Lagos State Police Command have arrested a 19-year-old boy and his accomplice father for allegedly defrauding a businessman Ekemezie Obinna Emmanuel of the sum of N1.2milion through cyber-related fraud.

Reports reveal the suspect identified as Emmanuel John Amadi met Ekemezie on facebook sometime in July 2019 having requested for friendship and the request was accepted following which they started exchanging pleasantries.

In one of the posts, the suspect was said to have told his new friend that he was into Forex business and needed prospective buyers.

As a businessman whose branch was into Forex business as well, Ekemezie who had a business based in Enugu State with a branch in Lagos showed interest in the deal and an agreement was reached on the amount to be sold.

It was gathered that the suspect promptly forwarded his Access bank account number 0780909179 to the victim who transferred the sum of N1, 210,000 into the account without knowing that the deal was a bogus one.

The suspect blocked Emmanuel on his Facebook and Whatsapp accounts and made communications with the suspect impossible since the payment was made.

“Even phone calls from the victim to the suspect’s numbers were also blocked by him prompting a petition to the office of the ‘Area F’ Commander who immediately mobilized his detectives and commenced tracking the number”, a police source revealed.

Sources hinted further that phone numbers- 0814369123 and 07053248619 were later tracked to somewhere in Iyana Isashi on Tuesday August 21, 2019, a community in the outskirts of Lagos where the suspect was arrested together with his father.

Although the role played by his father was yet to be ascertained, but police sources said the suspect met with his father as of the time detectives stormed his hideout.

Attempt to get the reaction of Lagos police spokesman Bala Elkena on the arrest proved abortive as calls placed to this phone rang, but were unanswered.

But a source who confirmed the arrest said, “The suspect is a serial cybercrime fraudster who cashed in on some naïve businessmen to dupe them.

“Investigation reveals that he had done a similar thing to different and unsuspecting businessmen wishing to buy forex currencies at a relatively reduced price from him.”

Police operatives attached to ‘Area F’ Command Headquarters Ikeja led by the Area Commander, ACP Olasoji Akinbayo

It was further gathered that the suspect would soon be charged to court together with his father as an accomplice as soon as investigations were completed.

The suspect was arrested by police operatives attached to ‘Area F’ Command Headquarters Ikeja led by the Area Commander, Olasoji Akinbayo.