Six suspected bank hackers who reportedly stole N5 million from a victim’s account, have been arrested by the operatives from the Anti-kidnapping and Cybercrime Unit of the police in Edo State.
The suspects identified as David Ogunowo, Abiodun Adesina, Yusuf Ademola, Balogun Hakeem, Adetono Lukeman, and Adesola Kayode, were arrested on Friday January 29 after reportedly withdrawing N5 million from the victim’s account through a Point of Sale (POS) operator in Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State.
It was gathered that this occurred after the victim’s phone was stolen during a robbery operation in October in Benin City, with the SIM card in the phone reportedly sold to the hackers.
One of the investigating officers explained:
“The bank account was successfully opened in Lagos. They then went to Ijebu Ode in Ogun state where they bought a fresh bank account from a 28-year-old man for the sum of N30, 000.
“The sum of N1.5 million was first transferred into the account and withdrawn in Ijebu Ode in a Point of Sales (POS) shop. Another N3.5 million was later sent into the account of a POS operator who then collected his commission and gave them the cash.”
Confessing to the crime, one of the suspects Kayode said;
“We buy stolen SIM cards from armed robbers and thieves. We normally assess the ones that have money in their bank accounts and remove the money.”
The police spokesperson in Edo State, Chidi Nwabuzor, said the suspected hackers would be investigated and charged to court soon.
