Police have arrested an alleged fraudster for sending a fake bank alert to a car dealer in Lagos and escaped with the car to Akwa Ibom State. The Akwa Ibom State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Odiko Macdon, said in a statement that the suspect, Emeka John Akuma, was arrested on IBB Way, Uyo, after he had used a fake bank alert to buy Lexus 330 car from a dealer at FESTAC town in Lagos. Macdon said Akuma, an indigene of Abia State, was trailed through coordinated intelligence operations by Anti-Cultism Unit while driving the said car near Ibom Hall with fake registration number AKD 230 QD before the vehicle was recovered.
He said: “The Akwa Ibom State Police Command, on 18/1/2021, relying on credible information, that a Lexus 330 car was bought with fake bank alert at Festac Town, Lagos State, trailed the said car to Uyo via Abia State and in a coordinated operation, and utilising the instruments of intelligence-driven policing by the Anti-Cultism Unit of the command, arrested one Emeka John Akuma, ‘m’ of Abia State, on IBB Road by Ibom Hall, driving the car with a fake number plate; Lagos AKD 230 GQ and recovered the said vehicle. ”
In a related development, the police also arrested a Point of Sales (POS) operator in Uyo, who defrauded his customers to the tune of N200,000 and sent fake alerts to authenticate the transaction.