The Katsina State Police Command has cracked down on a four-man syndicate specializing in defrauding victims through a sophisticated point-of-sale machine scam.
“The suspects confessed to committing the offense during investigation,” stated Police Spokesman ASP Abubakar Sadiq while parading the suspects at the Command Headquarters on Thursday.
Sadiq identified the suspects as Abdulhakeem Haruna alias Tainure, 20; Habibu Kabir alias Latti, 28; Aminu Abubakar, 27; and Abubakar Bishir alias Dogari, 25.
According to the police spokesman, the syndicate’s modus operandi involved criminally swapping victims’ legitimate POS machines with fake ones before draining funds from their accounts.
“The suspects had swindled five victims who are mostly business owners a total sum of four million, seven hundred and sixty-three thousand, six hundred naira (₦4,763,600) as four (4) POS machines were recovered in their possession,” Sadiq revealed.
The Police Command also announced the arrest of Umar Musbahu, a suspected armed robber and member of a notorious tricycle snatching syndicate. Musbahu was apprehended on May 16th while attempting to rob a commercial tricycle rider.
“On May 16, 2024 at about 2225 hrs, at Barhim roundabout, with the aid of some good Samaritans, our operatives succeeded in arresting the suspect while attempting to rob a commercial tricycle rider as other members of the syndicate escaped,” Sadiq stated.
He added that the syndicate employs tactics like drugging victims before robbing them of their tricycles, valued at millions of naira.
In a separate case, the Command disclosed the arrest of Nasiru Yusuf, 53, and Sani Ahmed, 25, for the suspected rape of a 16-year-old girl in Batagarawa.
“The duo criminally conspired and lured the victim into the room of the second suspected situated at the above mentioned address where they forcefully had unlawful canal knowledge of the victim,” the police spokesman said. “During the course of investigation, suspects confessed to the commission of the offence.”
The Commissioner of Police, CP Aliyu Abubakar Musa, commended the operatives and urged the public to remain vigilant in reporting suspicious activities to aid the Command’s efforts in combating crime.
