Police nab suspected fraudster for swapping ATM cards

The Kano State Police Command has arrested a 24-year-old lady, Osasi Chinozom Juliet with 17 Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards belonging to victims she defrauded.

Confirming the arrest on Monday, April 4, 2022, the state command’s spokesman, SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa said that the suspect was intercepted by a team of Operation Puff Adder, led by the Divisional Police Officer, Nassarawa Division, SP Daniel Itse Amah, while on surveillance patrol along Murtala Mohammed Way on March 28 at about 5:30 pm.

It was learnt that Juliet, residing at Enugu Road, Sabon Gari, Kano, had been on the wanted list of the command for fraud-related cases.

According to the PPRO, when a search was conducted on her, the police found 17 ATM cards from different banks with her.

A victim, Yusuf Tijjani, told the police after her arrest that on March 17, when he sought an assistance in operating an ATM, the suspect deceitfully collected his card, swapped it, and withdrew N15,000 from his account.

During interrogation, the suspect reportedly confessed to the crime, noting that her mode of operation was to swap ATM cards by claiming to be an employee of the bank whenever customers approached her for assistance in operating the machine.

She was said to be in possession of ATM cards from almost all the banks in Kano, making it easy for her to swap her victims’ cards.

She further revealed that she had withdrawn money from many people’s accounts after swapping their ATM cards.

SP Kiyawa said that she had been charged for prosecution.

Warning criminals to repent or leave the state, the Commissioner of Police, Sama’ila Shu’aibu Dikko, strongly said that criminals would have no hiding place in Kano, adding that once arrested, they would  face the full wrath of the law.