Police in Gombe have arrested eight suspects linked to a robbery and internet fraud syndicate accused of stealing mobile phones, accessing victims’ bank accounts and carrying out multiple fraudulent transactions across the state.
The Gombe State Police Command has arrested eight suspected members of a robbery and internet fraud syndicate allegedly responsible for stealing mobile phones and using victims’ personal information to access their bank accounts.
The command’s spokesperson, Buhari Abdullahi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday in Gombe.
According to Abdullahi, the case began after Hassan Muhammad and Jibril Hassan reported to the police on June 7 that armed men wielding cutlasses broke into their homes and stole their mobile phones.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects allegedly used information obtained from the stolen phones to gain unauthorised access to the victims’ bank accounts.
The police said the suspects fraudulently withdrew N296,790 from one victim’s GTBank account before obtaining and withdrawing a quick loan worth N205,205, resulting in significant financial losses.
Abdullahi said intelligence-led operations and technical analysis enabled investigators to trace one of the fraudulent transactions to a Moniepoint account. The breakthrough led to the arrest of the principal suspect, whose identity was withheld. He was identified as a Computer Science student of the Federal Polytechnic, Kaltungo.
Investigators said the suspect confessed to using information stored on the stolen mobile phones to access victims’ bank accounts and carry out fraudulent transactions.
His statement subsequently led to the arrest of seven other alleged members of the syndicate.
Further investigations revealed that the group was allegedly involved in more than 13 similar incidents across Wuro Birji, Riyal, Bomala and Jauro Jatau communities in Gombe State.
The police said investigations are ongoing, with efforts intensified to arrest other suspects believed to be at large. The command also urged residents to remain vigilant, secure their personal information and digital devices, and promptly report suspicious activities to security agencies.
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