RRS nabs bank fraud syndicate members

The operatives of Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested the suspected ring leader and mastermind of several bank fraud activities in Lagos State.

The 47-year-old suspected fraudster, Ajisafe Olugbenga, from Osun State, was reported to have been mentioned in several bank frauds.

According to information gathered by Metro, Ajisafe, an ex-banker, popularly known as Harrison among his gang, was arrested after police investigation revealed that he was the one initiating the deal of swapping SIM cards at a network provider’s outlets in Surulere, Lagos and Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The suspect was reported to have been on the run for his alleged involvement in a N2 million fraud in one of the old generation banks in Lagos State sometimes in April, 2016, before he was nabbed last Tuesday.

He was also said to have a vast network of insiders in banks and the links were helping him to procure bank details of high net worth customers.

According to police sources, the gang blocks or swaps the SIM of a bank customer, making it impossible for such to receive bank alerts on transactions involving their account.

Before the blocking of the SIM, the bank’s insider, who usually got a share of gains of every transaction, would have helped the gang to increase the customer’s withdrawal limit, Metro further learnt.

Those initially arrested in connection with the case included Michael Adeoye, Ayo Olalekan, Israel Ochenehi, Adegbenro Opeyemi, Obong Udeme-Obot and Peter Ezurike.

The fraud detection in 2016 was said to have prompted the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni to convoke a meeting of bank executives with analysis of strategies adopted by the fraudsters.

Ajisafe’s latest offence was said to be the recruitment of three suspects through which some SIM cards belonging to a particular network (name withheld) were being swapped and used for some of the gangs’ bank fraud.

Two of the suspects recruited by Ajisafe for the SIM swap were Shamsudeen Olalekan (35) and Nicholas Egbele, and they were arrested few days before Ajisafe was picked up.

Also arrested with them was a staff of a popular network provider in an outlet in Abeokuta who had been assisting the gang in SIM swapping, while another collaborator is said to be on the run.

Olalekan and Egbede had disclosed that they were promised N20,000 for every SIM card swapped for the gang.

They also disclosed to the police that Ajisafe took their passport photographs and used them to procure national ID cards, with names of bank’s account holder. This is to be accompanied with sworn affidavit on loss of SIM card.

Confirming the incident, the Police PPRO, ASP Olarinde Famous Cole, said that the four suspects had been transferred to the SCID, Panti for further investigations.