17TH APRIL, 2014
PRESS BULLETIN
SERIAL BANK FRAUDSTER WITH MULTIPLE
IDENTITY
IN SFU NET
SUSPECT: GODWIN
DIAVEL
The
Police Special Fraud Unit (SFU) has arrested a 54-year old male farmer, one
Godwin Diavel for fraudulent withdrawals of money from customers’ accounts with
a new generation bank.
Godwin
Diavel had on Thursday, March 20, 2014 at Ogba Branch of a new generation bank,
Lagos attempted to withdraw the sum of N500,000.00 (Five Hundred Thousand
Naira) from the account of one Saheed Ademola Adegbola with a forged signature
on the withdrawal slip.
Upon
interrogation, the suspect confessed that he was at the Warehouse Road Branch
of the bank some three weeks back where he got an instrument belonging to the
customer and took it to Ogba Branch where he was caught.
Investigation
conducted by the bank before the suspect was handed over to SFU Detectives
revealed several other fraudulent successful withdrawals and attempted ones by
the fraudster using various pseudo names.
Sometime
in February 2014, the suspect was arrested at Ejigbo Branch of the bank where
he identified himself as Peter Okoro while attempting to seek information on
another customer’s account. He was
subsequently held and handed over to the Police.
Also
on October 4, 2013 he was caught at Opebi Branch where he identified himself as
Samson Omobo and fraudulently impersonated another customer and attempted to
withdraw the sum of N300,000.00 from the customer’s account.
Similarly,
on 29th January, 2014 the suspect was at Ilupeju Branch of the bank
and impersonated one Sunday Onwuabaizo and successfully withdrew the sum of
N470,000.00 from his account.
Again,
on 19th November 2013, he was at Abule Egba Branch of the same bank
where he impersonated one Chinedu E. Onwutaly and fraudulently withdrew the sum
of N220,000.00.
Also
sometime in 2013, he was at Abraka Branch of the bank where he succeeded in
withdrawing the sum of N470,000.00 from the account of one Kabiru Mohammed
Baday.
Godwin
Diavel who hail from Oghare in Ethiope West Local Govt. Area of Delta State
admitted to the crime and stated that he goes to the various bank branches,
picking up used withdrawal slips by customers.
That he will take the slips home and study the signatures before forging
them for presentation. He confessed that
it was the Cashier at Ogba Branch of the bank that discovered that his picture
does not tally with the one on the mandate card. Also he was unable to answer correctly some
questions put to him by the Cashier.
The
suspect further stated that he had succeeded on several occasions in
withdrawing from customer’s account in Delta State. That he was arrested at Opebi while
attempting to withdraw N300,000.00 and was handed over to Police. That the case was charged to court but was
struck out because the bank did not come to give evidence. He also stated that he has no account with
the said new generation bank.
Investigation
is on-going. It is strongly believed
that the suspect belongs to a syndicate that specializes in forging documents
and defrauding innocent Nigerians and financial institutions. Effort is on top
gear to arrest other members of the syndicate.
Suspect will be charged to court, soonest.
The
Commissioner of Police, SFU, CP Umar Farouk Idris assures account holders of
Police sustained cooperation with banks to secure their deposits against
activities of fraudsters like Godwin Diavel.
He enjoins other banks to place suspected persons on nationwide alert
and promptly report them to Police for arrest and prosecution. He also advises account holders to protect
their personal information and always destroy used deposit/withdrawal slips before
leaving the bank.
DSP NGOZI ISINTUME-AGU
Police Public Relations Officer
For: Commissioner of Police
Special Fraud Unit
Ikoyi – Lagos
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