By Ada Festus
Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), unit of the Lagos State Police Command have nabbed two musicians who engage in an online service delivery fake alerts payment.
The two suspects and 5 others who reside at No 4, Modupe Young Thomas Estate, Ajah, Lagos, allegedly met their waterloo after buying goods worth N450,000 on online from Jiji.com platform.
The suspects: Chinonso Michael, 25, an Afro hip hop singer and Chimelu Victory, 22, a pianist, were arrested last week Wednesday in company of 5 other suspects at their residence by the Decoy Team of RRS.
The duo had on April 10, 2020 ordered an iPhone 11 Pro Max valued at N450,000 from Jiji.com on pay on delivery basis.
Upon receipt of the consignment from a delivery man, one Anifowoshe Itunu, Chimelu, the buyer generated a fake alert for the rider with the connivance of Chinonso who escaped from the apartment after keeping the dispatch rider busy with a bottle of beer.
Gfhnews gathered that the suspects then sold the iPhone 11 Pro Max to a buyer in Ogba, for N350,000 which was transferred into Chinoso’s bank account.
The case was reported to the Rapid Response Squad, and immediately the suspects sighted the operatives they jumped from the first floor of the apartment into the streets.
They were eventually apprehended and they both confessed that the crime was the third time they sold iPhone 11 Pro Max during the COVID – 19 lockdsown, adding that two of the phones were bought online with stolen credit cards.
One of the suspects had a fractured arm and bruises on his chin, injuries he sustained when he landed on the ground while trying to escape.
In their confessions, the suspects who performed regularly at some Lagos night clubs attributed their actions to COVID 19 lockdown stressing that ‘during the lock down there was nothing going on’, and that they didn’t have anything to eat for about two weeks.
“We were already owing all the store owners in the neighbourhood.
“Nobody was ready to give us credit anymore. We had to devise a means to survive the lockdown.
They also admitted that apart from music, they were also into internet fraud.
Exhibits recovered from the suspects include one iPhone 11Pro Max, three laptops, two flash drives, two WiFi connection modems, two memory cards, four SIM cards, one Samsung phone and one iPhone.
The suspects have been transferred to SARS for further investigations and possible prosecution.
Commenting on the development, the state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu maintained that the internet is a fertile ground for opportunities but that the State Command would not allow criminals use it as avenue to exploit legitimate business owners.
