ATM Card Thief Arrested After Withdrawing N1m From Victim's Account In Abia

A suspected fraudster identified as Eze Udo has been arrested by the men of the Umuahia Central Police Station in Abia State for allegedly withdrawing the sum of N1,049,545 (one million, forty-nine thousand, and five hundred and forty-five naira) from his victim’s account.


A police source hinted that the manhunt for the suspect started following a complaint by the victim, Mr. Oka Monday, whom the suspect stole his ATM card and withdrew the money from his account.

According to the source, the victim who hails from Amachara Umuopara, a satellite town near the capital city, Umuahia, was making attempts to withdraw some money from an Automated Teller Machine attached to a commercial bank in Umuahia, when the suspect offered to assist him due network failure.

It was learnt that after attempts to withdraw the money failed, the suspect having memorised the victim’s secret pin number, advised him to follow him (the suspect) to a nearby bank where the transaction might be easier.

It was gathered that the victim, in the complaint made to the police, stated that to his amazement, the suspect suddenly absconded with his ATM card on their way to the second bank and thereafter he got a text messages indicating that money had been withdrawn from his account.

The police source added that security operatives started the search for the suspect following intelligence gathered, which paid off when the suspect was arrested.

He pointed out that during a search in the suspect’s house, 13 different ATM cards belonging to different victims were recovered.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adeleye Oyebade, has confirmed the arrest of the suspect, adding that he has confessed to the crime and was assisting the police in their investigation.

He warned members of the public to keep all the details pertaining to their bank accounts and transitions secret from strangers.

He said, “We want members of the public to disregard any text message or email requesting their account details for the upgrade of their bank accounts. The case of allowing a totally stranger to offering to help anybody do a transaction should not be accepted at all.

“We shall continue to partner commercial banks in the state to ensure the safety of their staff and customers. We will welcome any information that will help our officers to do their job effectively well.”