Four suspected members of a criminal syndicate that specializes in swapping Automated Teller Machine (ATM) Cards of unsuspecting victims have been rounded up by Police Operatives serving in Hawk Tactical Squad of the Enugu State Command, together with Troops of the Nigerian Air Force Enugu, on May 6 in Emene, Enugu.
A statement from DSP Daniel Ndukwe, spokesperson of the command, gave the names of the suspects as Michael Sopuruchi aged 36, Osinachi Godwin aged 18 and Moses Ani aged 29, and one (1) female and a mother of four (4), Chika Nwoko aged 29, all of Emene community in the state.
Ndukwe said the suspects were arrested, while escaping to their criminal hideout in Emene, Enugu, after they fraudulently stole the ATM Card and Personal Identification Number (PIN) of an unsuspecting 63-year-old male victim while pretending to assist him withdraw money from a commercial Bank ATM along Ogui Road, Enugu.
Immediately after the switch, the suspects used the Card and PIN to withdraw the total sum of four hundred and ninety-five thousand Naira (N495,000.00) from the victim’s account.
‘’The suspects confessed to the crime, stating that they have carried out many other criminal acts of ATM Cards swapping and fraud within Enugu metropolis, while four (4) different banks’ ATM Cards, including that of the victim, were recovered from them. The suspects were on May 23 arraigned in court, where the Magistrate ordered that they should be remanded in Enugu Custodial Centre, while the case is adjourned to 07/06/2023 for further hearing and the case-file transmitted to the Attorney General for legal advice, through the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Ministry of Justice, Enugu State.”
Ndukwe added that the state Commissioner of Police, CP Ahmed Ammani, while commending the Joint Operatives for busting and bringing the criminal syndicate to book, has called on bank customers, particularly the elderly and those without proper knowledge of how to use ATM cards, to exercise caution and seek the assistance of Banks’ staff while using their Cards on the Machine.
