CP Abaniwonda Olufemi
By Jon Egie
A 400 level student of the Department of Banking and Finance, Delta State University Abraka who conspired with a suspect, Jerry Lawrence of Jeddo community in Warri to defraud his father the sum of N5, 200, 000 (Five million, two hundred thousand naira) has been arrested and cooling his feet in police custody.
The student identified as Nelson Eserada had feigned kidnapped and requested his father to pay the sum of N50 million as ransom to the ghost kidnappers to regain his freedom.
According to a police statement issued by the PPRO of Delta State Police Command, SP Edafe Bright, the fraud victim was directed to pay the quoted ransom through a Bitcoin account and it was by that manner that Nelson’s father pay the sum of N5,200,000 to the Bitcoin account of the said Jerry Lawrence, the co conspirator of the fraud.
Nelson had earlier sent a video of himself tied and being tortured by the ghost kidnappers, a stunt intended to provoke his father’s emotion to quickly come to his rescue by paying the demanded ransom sum.
But his father approached and lodged a complaint of the kidnap saga before the police in Abraka.
DPO of Abraka police station, SP Fabian Ayameh mobilised and led Operatives to embark on thorough investigation engaging fintech experts and on Monday, June 10, the major suspect, Jerry Lawrence who owned the Bitcoin account where the first tranche of ransom was paid was identified, located and arrested in connection with the crime.
Reacting to the arrest, Delta State Commissioner of Police, CP Abaniwonda Olufemi urged parents to be more committed to the upbringing of their children noting that children who are improperly brought up become a problem to the parents in the days ahead.
” He also urged youths to stay away from the get-rich-quick syndrome, noting that crime does not pay.” The statement added.
About Author
