Police Arrest Three, Including Bank Employee, for Stealing N4 Million from Victim’s Account

The Enugu State Police Command has arrested three individuals, including a bank employee, for allegedly stealing N4 million from a customer’s account through forgery. In a statement on Friday, the police spokesperson, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, revealed that the suspects had fraudulently accessed the account of a Nigerian man based in Australia by altering his account details. According to Ndukwe, the three suspects, one of whom is an employee at a commercial bank in Enugu, withdrew over N4 million from the victim’s account through illicit means. The fraud was discovered when the bank’s management identified the discrepancies and reported the matter to the police. Ndukwe explained that the first suspect, who was arrested, confessed to finding a bag containing personal items and several SIM cards at Nowas Junction in Trans-Ekulu, Enugu, in October 2023. The suspect stated that in January 2024, he inserted one of the SIM cards into his phone and received a large credit alert. He then began withdrawing money from the victim’s account using USSD banking codes. However, in September 2024, the suspect encountered difficulties accessing the account and visited the bank branch in Enugu, where he conspired with a bank employee with 17 years of service. The bank employee informed him that the account was on “Post No Debit Status” and advised him to obtain a court affidavit and alter his National Identification Number (NIN) to match the account owner’s details. Ndukwe added that the first suspect then approached a NIN enrolment agent who unlawfully changed his name, date of birth, and other details on the NIN to align with those of the victim, in exchange for N40,000. The police arrested the first suspect on October 18 while attempting another withdrawal, along with the bank employee and the NIN agent. Enugu State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kanayo Uzuegbu, praised the bank for its role in exposing the fraud and urged the public to exercise caution in handling sensitive personal information to avoid falling victim to similar crimes.