Operatives of the Enugu state Police Command have arrested a fake philanthropist and recovered fraudulently obtained bags of rice in Enugu
Pix- The suspect
Police Public Relations Officer of the Command’, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, in a statement on Sunday in Enugu said, the swift response of police operatives serving in the Ogui Police Division led tèo arrest of one Joseph Nnamani, 45 years.
Ndukwe said if not for police intervention, Nnamani would have successfully defrauded a businessman of 18 bags of rice valued at about N400,000 under the guise of buying and usZccrrrtryhwawaating the rice for charity at a church on Feb. 14, 2024, Valentine’s Day.
“On Valentine’s Day, Nnamani went to the premises of a church (name withheld) in Ogui, Enugu, from where he called the businessman (names withheld) on the phone, requesting 18 pieces of 25kg bags of rice with the pretense of wanting to use the same for charity to the church.
“The businessman accordingly supplied the rice and unsuspectingly followed Nnamani to the bank to receive his payment through bank transfer.
“But in the course of effecting the payment, Nnamani secretly left the bank, went back to the church, and made away with the bags of rice to an unknown destination.
“The suspect, however, could not run or hide for so long, as police operatives, upon receiving the report, embarked on an intelligence-driven investigation, which led to his arrest on Feb. 20, 2024, at Emene, Enugu,” he said.
He added that upon his arrest, eight out of the 18 25kg bags of rice were recovered from him, after he had re-bagged and sold the other bags at Oye Emene Market, Enugu.
Ndukwe said once investigations are concluded, the suspect and his cohorts will be prosecuted.
“The citizenry, particularly businessmen and women, are hereby advised to always be security conscious and wary of whom and how they transact businesses in such circumstances, to avoid falling prey to fraudulent suspects like Nnamani.
“Additionally, while the investigation lasts, person(s) who may have suffered a similar act of fraud by the suspect, are encouraged to report to the mentioned police division to volunteer relevant information,” Ndukwe said.
Author- Maureen Ikpeama