Ibadan – The Police in Oyo State on Wednesday said it arrested a 42-year-old ex-banker for impersonating an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP).
The Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Katsina, told newsmen in Ibadan that the impersonator, identified as Olayinka Olatunji, was arrested for impersonation
Katsina, who was represented by the Command’s Public Relations’ Officer, Adekunle Ajisebutu, said the suspect was arrested in his office at Iwo Road Shopping Complex where he was defrauding innocent people.
“The police found on the impersonator, a fake police warrant card and a portrait of himself in full police uniform with the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP 1), ‘’Katsina said.
The suspect said he had been in the business since March this year and bought the police accessories from an undisclosed Police Training School.
He said that he used the police uniform to disguise himself as a police officer to transport imported or fairly used cars from one location to another.
The command also presented a six man gang of “International fraudsters syndicate” who specialised in defrauding banks and their customers through the internet.
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The commissioner said the gang confessed that the leader of the gang was based in France.
Katsina said the gang told the police that they had three of their members in Nigeria, who had concluded plan to defraud a first generation bank in Iseyin, Oyo State.
He said they lured a staff of the bank in charge of the teller unit, Owoade Olusegun, to connect the bank internet system to pave way for them to transfer customers’ funds.
“They hoodwinked the security guard to get numbers of staff in banks and released it to the gang leader.
“Having secured the numbers, they arranged for meetings with the bank’s staff and also invited other gang members from Lagos and Abuja respectively for a meeting in Iseyin,” he said.
Katsina said the suspects were at the peak of executing their evil plan when they were arrested at “a Joint called Infino Veritas’’ in Iseyin.
He said items recovered from them included two international passports, one Highlander Toyota Jeep (AAA 331 DM), forged traveling documents, Cheque books and some charms.
Katsina also disclosed that another three man gang fraudsters, who specialised in swindling rich and important personalities in the state, were arrested in their various hideouts.
The commissioner said they were arrested after they had successfully defrauded their victim of N950, 000.
“They posed as customs agents, fraudulently obtained the amount under the pretence that they would facilitate customs clearance of some fathom goods from abroad,” Katsina said. (NAN)