RRS arrests fake online custom auctioneer for admission racketeering

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, RRS of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested an undergraduate of Ambrose Alli University posing as an online custom auctioneer for cloning the website of Lagos State College of Health Technology and duping several admission seekers of large sums of money.

The suspect, Mayaki Best, 25, a 300 level student of the university, studying Library and Information Science, was arrested last Wednesday in Auchi, Edo State.

Mayaki was tracked to Edo State following a petition signed by the Provost of the Lagos State College of Health Technology, Dr. Moyo Kasim on the fraudulent activities of one Dr. Odeh Philip Oteche, who cloned the website of the institution and requesting for varied sums of money from admission applicants.

The petition, which was addressed to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police and later referred to the Commander, RRS had cloned admission application and bank details stating that applicants pay N2,500 for admission form.

Mayaki, who was in possession of the phone line given in the fraudulent bank details was arrested with three ATM cards, one of which carried Otache Philip Odeh, the owner of the fraudulent account.

Two other ATM cards of Access bank and UBA bore, Abua Sunday.

In his confession to the police, Mayaki stated that he was the brain behind the cloning of the institution’s website and that he had withdrawn series of deposits made to the accounts by different applicants.

He added that he veered into admission racketing when online custom auction of automobile and seized items failed to yield expected returns.

Apart from these, the suspect disclosed that he also used local and international dating platforms for scamming.

Through the cloned institution’s website, Mayaki stated that he had collected deposits ranging from N2,500 to N157,000, adding that one Charles and Ganiyu Balogun now at large were accomplices.

He stated that he opened Access Bank and UBA accounts with Sunday Abua for Nigerian Customs auction vehicles and goods.

He disclosed that the three facebook accounts of female custom officers he had been using and pictures of automobiles in display were sourced from Google.

Also found in possession of Mayaki were different soft copies of unfilled custom papers.

Commenting on the development, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, PRO, ASP Olarinde Famous-Cole stated that the command would not spare those who hide in other locations in the country and commit crime in Lagos.

He added that the suspect had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID for further investigation.