Police nab phone robbery gang in Lagos

Police detectives attached to the Zonal Inquiry Bureau (ZIB) in Onikan, Lagos, have nabbed a member of a robbery group that specializes in stealing phones and subsequently using the victims’ Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards to conduct unauthorized money transfers from their bank accounts.

According to reports, the apprehension of the suspect, Ogbonnaya Duru, came about as a result of complaints regarding the criminal activities of this syndicate lodged with the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) overseeing the Zone, Muhammed Ari Ali.

The Zone’s spokesperson, Hauwa Idris Adamu, confirmed the arrest. She revealed that Duru, who initially trained as a mechanic, claimed to have been introduced to criminal activities by an individual named Kareem, residing in Ajegunle. Adamu further disclosed that the suspect has been involved in these illicit activities since 2019, and he has connections with accomplices nationwide.

“Upon intelligence received by AIG Ari Mohammed Ali, there is a group of young Nigerians, which specializes in stealing phones from members of the public, and further transferring monies from their Bank Verification Number (BVN)/Bank linked SIM cards.”

“The AIG then detailed operatives of ZIB to discreetly investigate and apprehend the syndicate.”

“Based on the directive, one Duru was arrested after serious efforts had been made.  Duru, who hailed from Orlu Local Council of Imo State, is a mechanic by training, and has his workshop along the Trinity area of Berger Cement, Apapa, Lagos.”

“When asked about his involvement in the alleged crime, he confessed that he was introduced to the criminal act by his friend, Kareem, who lives in Ajegunle Area of Apapa, Lagos, in 2019. He has been in the business of criminality since then.”

“When other members of the syndicate, whose areas of specialization was to steal mobile phones from members of the public, either through pick-pocket, one-chance robbery, and other means, they bring the SIM cards to Duru, who finds out the bank(s) the SIM cards are linked to, check the account balance, reset the USSD pin and transfer funds from the owner’s account to the ones provided by a member of the syndicate, one Joshua, a.k.a. Alert, who is currently at large.”

“Joshua takes 20 percent of the proceeds, and returns 80 percent, either in cash or transfer to Duru, who takes 40 percent, and delivers the remaining 40 percent to whoever brings the BVN/Bank linked SIM card.”

Continuing, Hauwa said: “The suspect further confessed that there are others who consult him from Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States. He said the least he has transferred from an account was N100,000, while the maximum was N1.4 million.”

“The said Joshua operated many accounts with different banks, and as such, made the funds available for sharing the same day. When asked how many SIM cards he had fraudulently transferred money from, Duru said he worked on six SIM cards in a week and returned the cards to whoever brought them.”

“Duru listed Union Bank, First Bank of Nigeria, Fidelity Bank, Eco Bank, Wema Bank, and Sterling Bank as banks that are difficult for him to transfer monies from, while he listed United Bank for Africa UBA, First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Polaris Bank, Access Bank, Guarantee Trust Bank (GTB) and Stanbic IBTC Bank, as some of the banks he easily transferred from.”

“Members of the public are hereby advised to beware of these criminal elements and secure their valuables, while criminals are warned to relocate from Lagos and Ogun States, to avoid being caught,” she added.