3 arrested for illegal access to bank data

Elements of the Mobile Intervention Regiment No.2 for the Littoral have arrested three individuals of Nigerian origin who were fraudulently withdrawing huge amounts of money from a local bank using several electronic bank cards.

The three cyber criminal suspects, including two ladies, were caught in the early hours of August 2 on the cash machine at the Bali Agency of BICEC Bank.

The three suspects, Akem Jimoh Daramola alias Ingenieur, 46; Ati Ogochukwu Temitope, 32, and Babra Aletor Oserieme, 28 were caught red-handed at the cash machine of the Bali Agency of BICEC Bank as they were withdrawing huge amounts of money using several electronic cards.

The security of the bank, reportedly suspecting the jittery movements of the three pseudo clients, decided to alert the Commander of the Mobile Intervention Regiment No.2 for the Littoral. Senior Superintendent of Police, Gerald Aldjim, reacted promptly and sent three elements to investigate the call from the bank.

Upon arrival at the bank premises at 5.30am August 2, the Policemen found the three suspects busy retrieving money from the cash machine.

On the suspects were reportedly found, close to 20 electronic bank cards, seven Samsung mobile phones, 7 ECOBANK rapid transfer forms, a multi metre reader, two USB keys, the sum of FCFA 550.000 and several other items. Following a visit to their Hotel in New Bell, 10 bags of different items were found.

Upon interrogation, the three suspects, after formally admitting their crime, disclosed that they operate as a gang in West and Central Africa with a certain Philips in Nigeria as their boss. They further revealed that they are paid according to the amount of money they succeed in withdrawing from a bank.

Before the three suspects were presented to the competent judicial authorities in Douala for indictment for illegal access and falsification of bank data, embezzlement and cyber criminality, the Littoral Regional Delegate for National Security, Police Commissioner, Raymond Essogo, gave instructions with the view of dismantling the international crime network.