Police Arrest  Man Accused of Defrauding Thai $216,000, N30m

Police operatives in Lagos State have arrested a man, Chimereze Chinedu, for allegedly defrauding a Thai to the tune of $216,000 and N30m respectively.

Disclosing this in a statement on Tuesday via his X handle, the state’s Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, said the suspect promised to supply his victim with 37 tricycles which he valued at $216,000.

“In a move to further extort money from his victim, the suspect was said to have forged letters from the State Criminal Investigation Department to lure his victim into believing that the tricycles were seized by the police,” Hundeyin added.

According to Hundeyin, the suspect allegedly used the forged documents to obtain another sum of N30m from the victim to secure the release of the seized tricycles.

“Chimereze defrauded his victim under the pretence of selling 37 tricycles to her. He further expanded his fraudulent activity by forging letters of the State Criminal Investigative Department, Lagos showing that the tricycles were seized by the police and further extorted N30m from the victim to purportedly secure the release of the tricycles,” the police spokesman said.

The state police command said the “suspect was arrested on May 10, 2024, in Enugu State” following weeks of investigation and a collaboration with officials of the International Criminal Police Organisation.

The police spokesperson explained that efforts were going on to apprehend other accomplices of the suspect while stressing the command’s commitment to combating internet fraud.