Two suspects have been arrested in connection with alleged scam on the procurement of Covid-19 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) running into millions of Euros.
The two suspects, according to a statement by the Force Spokesman, Frank Mba, were arrested by the Cybercrime Unit of the Nigeria Police Force, INTERPOL, National Central Bureau, in Abuja.
The suspects are Babatunde Adesanya (a.k.a) Teddy, 50-year-old Masters degree holder in Cell Biology; and Akinpelu Hassan Abass, 41years old, the Managing Director of Musterpoint Investment Nig. Ltd.
The two suspects are said to be members of a sophisticated transnational criminal network who cloned the corporate website of ILBN Holdings BV, Holland, to transact with and defraud one Freiherr Fredrick Von Hahn, a representative of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia.
“The arrest of the suspects was sequel to a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) received by the Bureau from the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice conveying a request from the German Government for investigations into a fraudulent transaction on the procurement of COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment linked to a Nigerian-based Bank Account.
“Discrete investigations by INTERPOL Nigeria revealed that the suspects and their Holland-based cohorts, one Eduardus Boomstra and Geradius Maulder specialized in identity theft, cyber-stalking, cloning of corporate websites amongst other cyber mischiefs to defraud unsuspecting members of the public across the world.
“In this instance, the suspects fraudulently obtained from Mr Freiherr Fredrick Von Hahn the sum of 1.5m Euro and another 880,000 Euro as advanced payment for the supply of COVID-19 PPEs valued at 14.7million Euros,” the statement explained.
The fraudsters, findings indicated, cloned the company’s website and falsely presented themselves as representatives of the company before subsequently executing the fraudulent transaction.
A case of fraud was then reported to the Police in Holland which led to the arrest of Eduardus Boomstra and Geradius Maulder in Holland and investigations extended to Nigeria.
The Force Spokesman explained that investigation by INTERPOL Nigeria further revealed that Babatunde Adesanya received 498,000 Euro from Eduardus Boomstra and Geradius Maulder through his Citibank London account and transferred same to an account number domiciled with a Lagos branch of a leading commercial bank in Nigeria belonging to Musterpoint Investment Nig. Ltd.
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