₦22m Frozen as Police Smash Katsina Fraud Empire , Arrest Five

The Katsina State Police Command has dismantled an alleged sophisticated fraud network, arresting five suspects and freezing bank accounts containing ₦22m in a major crackdown on financial crimes.

The operation also led to the recovery of two vehicles, ₦2m cash, luxury mobile phones and several suspected fake identity documents.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq, disclosed that the investigation began following a petition over an alleged ₦10m transaction involving a 23-year-old suspect, Ahmed Abdulhakim.

Police said Abdulhakim allegedly received the money into his personal account before disappearing. He was subsequently tracked and arrested.

Investigations reportedly uncovered a wider fraud network operating from a hotel, where two other suspects, Abdulrahman Abdullahi, 24, and Mustapha Ayuba, 24, were apprehended. The hotel’s assistant manager, Fahad Ahmad, was also arrested for allegedly helping the suspects evade security operatives.

According to the police, the three principal suspects allegedly used multiple fraudulent Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) and National Identification Numbers (NINs) to operate 25 bank accounts under fictitious identities.

Two other individuals, Saifullahi Idris and Umar Faruq Bala, were also implicated for allegedly supplying fake identity documents.

Items recovered include a Mercedes-Benz C300, a Peugeot 206, Samsung and iPhone devices, nine BVN slips, several ATM cards, 14 SIM cards and ₦2m cash.

The police said ₦19m and ₦3m in two separate bank accounts had been frozen.

Meanwhile, two suspected ringleaders, Aminu Nasir Dan-Rimi and Surajo Sani Muhammad, remain at large, with efforts underway to apprehend them.

The Commissioner of Police, Ali Fage, warned hotel operators against harbouring criminals and urged residents to report suspicious financial activities.