A staff of Trade Fair Branch of Access Bank Plc, Lagos, Michael Ovuche, 30, has been arrested and arraigned before a Lagos Magistrate Court for allegedly conniving with two others to rob members of the public of their phones and sim cards at Boundary Market, Ajegunle and using the sim cards to hack into the victims account to withdraw money from their accounts.
Other accused arraigned over the alleged crime included Sunday Noah, 20 and Fatai Issa, 39.
A police source said that the arrest of the accused persons was ordered by the Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG in charge of Zone 2 Command, Lagos, Adamu Ibrahim following a complaints by those allegedly robbed by the accused persons.
Police identified the victims as Grace Lawson who lost her Samsung galaxy XS phone valued at N37,000 and sim card to the accused persons; Kate Esebeimen who lost her Y3 phone valued at N15,000 and recharge cards valued at N25,000 to the accused; one Ecobank master card belonging to Chinyere Ejiogu and one verve pre-paid ATM card belonging to Jacob Ayodele Ado.
The accused persons were arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrate Court on a four-count charge of felony to wit, robbery and stealing money from bank customers accounts through online banking with various sim cards belonging to the victims.
Police prosecutor, Francis Igbinosa informed the Court in charge No T/01/2018 that the accused persons committed the offense on 4 and 5 December, 2017 at Boundary Market, Ajegunle.
Igbinosa told the court that Michael Owuche, a staff of Access Bank,Trade Fair Branch connived with others to rob the complainants of their phones and ATM cards at Boundary Market and used the sim cards inside the phones and the ATM cards to hack into the accounts of the victims and allegedly stole the sum of N250,000 from their accounts.
He said that the offences the accused persons committed were punishable under sections 411, 297, 329 and 287 (7) of the criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
The accused persons, however, pleaded not guilty to the alleged crime and Magistrate Aro Lambo granted them bail in the sum of N500,000 each with two sureties each in like sum and adjourned the case till 14 February, 2018 for mention.
Lambo ordered that the defendants be kept at the Ikoyi Prison, Lagos till they are able to perfect their bail conditions. – The News.
