The Anambra State Police Command says it has apprehended a visually-challenged man, Tochukwu Ikebuife, for advanced fee fraud, popularly called 419 in Nigeria.
Ikebuife who was also known as Mmanye was picked up by the police in Obosi, Idemili North Local Government Area of the state.
Narrating his modus operandi, the police revealed that the suspect specialised in spitting saliva in the open palms of his victims and asked them to watch it come out through the other side; an act he uses to confuse and defraud people.
According to the Nigerian Tribune, most of Ikebuife’s victims were young sales girls and apprentices serving their masters in different markets in Onitsha.
The suspect who hailed from Ire in Obosi was said to have swindled his victims of huge sums of money ranging from N500,000, N850,000, N3m to N5m respectively.
His arrest was announced when Ndigbo Unity Forum, led by its National President, Dede Uzor A. Uzor, paid a courtesy visit to the anti-cult commander in Enugu-Ukwu.
The national president commended the new Commissioner of Police in the state, Monday Kunyas, and the commander for the arrest of the suspect and his wife, Nkiru, his accomplice.
The NUF boss also warned Nigerians to be wary of persons who approach them for assistance, claiming that they come from African countries like Ghana, Togo, Ivory Coast among others and need help to change their foreign currency.
“People should be careful of such individuals.This is one of their antics. I urge police to immediately arraign the suspect and the wife to serve as a deterrent to others,” he said.
They urged the police to intensify efforts to arrest five other groups operating in Obosi using Camry and commercial tricycles to carry out criminal activities.
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