The sim card syndicate

The police in Lagos said they have arrested 13 suspected cross-border and cyber criminals, including four Beninois who specialised in snatching exotic cars in Nigeria for sale in Benin Republic.

Parading the suspects before newsmen on Tuesday, the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Edgar Imohimi, said the command arrested six men who specialised in generating users’ bank details from stolen phones.

According to the police commissioner, the command also recovered hard drugs worth over N90 million from three suspects at Akala area of Mushin, Lagos.

Narating how the Beninois gang, at gun point, snatched a Toyota Prado from a victim using an ATM machine in Victoria Island, Imohimi said:

“Their exploits started on Jan. 21 at Ajose Adeogun, Victoria Island, Lagos when the owner of a Toyota Prado jeep went to use a Zenith Bank ATM.

“After using the ATM, before he could drive off his car, the three hoodlums that had been stalking him forced him out of the car to the back seat and drove him off with his car.

“He was later stripped naked and dropped somewhere at Ikoyi while his car was driven away with mobile phones, a laptop computer and N45,000 cash.

” When the hoodlums got to Ikoyi, they sighted a couple in a Toyota Jeep buying barbecue at Southern Sun area. The hoodlums forcefully took control of the car and drove the victims away.

“The victim’s wife was later dropped at a junction before Third Mainland Bridge while the husband was dropped off on Third Mainland Bridge.

” After a careful analysis and undercover operations, on Feb. 11, the group were intercepted at Mile 2 while on a mission.

“An AK-47 rifle, 43 AK-49 ammunitions, one locally made cut to size double barrel gun, six live cartridges, one licensed plate number and assorted charms were recovered from the hoodlums,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a native doctor who specialised in making charms for the hoodlums was also paraded along with the suspects.

Imohimi said that the six cyber criminals specialised in stealing mobile phones from which they generate users’ bank details and withdraw money from their bank accounts.

“On Feb. 7, at 6pm, a woman reported to the police at Egbeda that her sister’s phone was stolen at a birthday party.

“When the victim went for sim card replacement, as soon as she inserted her sim into her phone, she received a bank alert of N1.15 million transfered from her account to other banks.

“After investigation, a gang who specialise in dispossessing victims of their mobile phones with the use of motorcycle was apprehended.

“The gang is made up of two groups. One specialise in snatching the mobile phone and sell to the other group that work on the Sim cards to generate bank details and BVN to transfer money from the account.

“Ten laptops, one Infinix mobile phone and 10 Sim cards were recovered from the hoodlums,” Imohimi said.

He called on victims of the cyber fraudsters, especially those whose phones were stolen at Iyana-Ipaja, Iba, Festac and Alaba, to come to the command.

Imohimi said that 183 wraps of drugs suspected to be Marijuana,129 wraps of substance suspected to be cocaine and bottled hard drugs worth over N90m were recovered at a criminals’ hideout in Akala.