POLICE ARRESTS PERSONS WHO STOLE FROM ATM

Operatives of Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of
Lagos State Police Command on Friday
apprehended a young lady, her boyfriend and
two others for stealing an Automated Teller
Machine (ATM) card which belonged to one
Musa Alli and withdrew over N300, 000.00 from
the account.
The lady, Bamigboye Imoleayo, 24, was arrested
by the operatives at a club house (name
withheld) in Surulere area of Lagos State over
the crime, before arresting three other
accomplices, including her boyfriend, Adeyinka
Ayodele, the same day in Itori, Ogun State.
The victim, who reported the case at the RRS's
office in Alausa, said that he met the suspect
at a club in Surulere last week Friday. That the
lady had earlier stolen his ATM before
memorizing his Personal Identification Number
(PIN) during online transfer of funds into his
friend's account.
"I thought I had misplaced the card not
knowing that the lady had stolen it and
thereafter glimpsed at the PIN for
withdrawal", he noted. He said that he
was shocked on Saturday afternoon
when he received alerts amounting to
N90, 000:00 withdrawals.
"while I was still contemplating on how
to deal with the issue, I got another
debit alert for buying two Infinix phones
totalling N84,000:00. I was confused and
shocked. I didn’t know what action to
take on a Saturday evening…. On Sunday ,
there was another debit. I couldn’t pin
the crime to the lady I met at the club. I
lodged a complaint on Monday morning
at my bank and I was told that the
withdrawals and shopping were
legitimately made by me. I reported the
incident at the RRS's office on Monday
after informing my bank. My emphasis to
the police was the withdrawals and
shopping totalling N300,000:00. It was
unbelievable for me when I was face to
face with the suspect, the lady I met at
the club. And, she explained everything,"
he stated.
After the arrest, the lady, Bamigboye Imoleayo,
owned up during interrogations that she
pocketed the victims ATM card when the owner
slept off during their conversation at night at
the club.
"I managed to steal the card when Musa
(victim) dozed off during our
conversations. Initially, I had spied on
and crammed his PIN when he was
sending money to his colleague via
mobile app…. I committed this offence
because I was so desperate to re-stock
my shop at Wasimi in Ogun State, and
also to take care of my only daughter. I
never had a rethink while committing the
crime. Although, I regretted my action
now," she stated.
She further narrated how she in company of her
lover withdrew and expended funds from the
ATM.
"After I spied on his PIN during a
particular banking transaction on his
phone, I intended to only withdraw
N20,000.00 out of his bank account and
then destroy the card…. However, when I
withdrew the money, and checked the
account balance, I was shocked to see
his balance. Afterwards, I withdrew
another N70,000.00 again making
N90,000.00 that day. Then, the following
day, I called my boyfriend, who
instructed me not to destroy the card,
but i should come straight to Itori, Ogun
State, where he resides. On getting to
him, he called two of his friends,
Abimbola Akintanna and Owolabi
Bamidele, to use the ATM at any nearest
bank."
He added that they took the card to a shopping
mall in Abeokuta where they bought phones and
clothes.
"The following day, we went straight to
Abeokuta to use the card. We thought by
going this far nobody could trace us. We
bought two android phones for N84,000
at a phone store.… We proceeded to a
boutique where four of us bought clothes
worth N126,000. I recharged my phone
with another N2,500 worth of recharge
card. The money spent from the account
was over N300, 000.00," she revealed.
Two Android phones, 8 pairs of trousers and
shirts were recovered from the suspects during
a thorough search of their residents. Confirming
the arrest, the image maker of Lagos State
Police Command, Superintendent of Police, SP
Dolapo Badmus, urged members of public to
always protect their PIN during banking
transaction at any point in time. The suspect
and exhibits recovered have been transferred to
State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID),
Panti, for prosecution.





Source : LIB
Edited by DANIEL IKECHUKWU EKWUNIFE