Female Belgium returnee arrested
for fraud
•I was on revenge mission –Suspect
By CHRISTOPHER ORJI & NWANNE OKOYE
Thursday, October
1, 2009
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Allens
Photo: Sun News Publishing |
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It was a day of reckoning for a suspected female fraudster,
who had been duping unsuspecting victims of their hard-earned
money as she has been arrested by police in Lagos.
The suspect, Mary Allen, 45, a Nigerian based in Belgium is
now undergoing interrogation at the State Criminal Investigation
Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba, Lagos.
The mother of eight, whose husband and children are Belgium
citizens, told Daily Sun that she was once
duped by some fraudsters, which resulted in her being stranded
in Nigeria.
She said: “I returned from Belgium for my late mother’s
burial. After the burial, I needed some money to go back to
re-unite with my family, but there was a stumbling block.
I sold some goods, including cars that I brought from Belgium,
but I met twin brothers, who fleeced me of N2.7 million and
I became stranded.”
She claimed to have reported the matter to Sabo Police Station,
adding that the police failed to bring the twin brothers to
book or to make them refund her money.
She claimed that it was inability of the police to do their
job that made her to be frustrated and stranded in Nigeria.
She further explained that it was her quest to return to Belgium
that pushed her into crime.
According to her, she was trying to raise some money before
she met one Ifeanyi, whom she showed a car for sale, valued
at the sum of N1.4 million. She disclosed that Ifeanyi gave
her N300,000.
There was a mild drama as she was narrating the story of her
life to Daily Sun when Ifeanyi and one Hassan
stormed Oduduwa Police parade ground, alleging that the suspect
also duped them.
Ifeanyi narrated how the suspect took him to where some cars
were displayed for sale, and showed him some samples of exotic
cars which she intended to be sending to him from Belgium.
Ifeanyi said he believed the suspect, which made him to part
with N300,000. He said he was shocked when he went the place
the following day only to meet the owner of the business premises,
who chased him away, saying he didn’t know the suspect.
He said he reported the matter to policemen who went searching
for the suspect. She was later sighted at Ikeja, while the
monitoring unit of the state police command was alerted.
But the suspect denied knowing him or transacting any business
with him.
Hassan said: “You see this woman, she is my customer.
I am a Bureau de Change operator. She used to come to change
money in my office. One day, she called me on phone to tell
me to bring an equivalent of 12,000 euros for her in a shop.”
As I knew her to be a Belgium returnee, who had been transacting
business with me, I did not envisage evil. I did not have
the equivalent at that time, and I told her. She said I should
bring the one I had.”
He alleged that he took N1.4 million to her in a popular plaza
at Ajao Estate, where the suspect collected it and assigned
one man to take him to another shop to give him the equivalent
of 750 euros.
He said when he went back to the place, he was embarrassed
by the owner, who told him he did not know the woman in question.
He said he was surprised when the police invited him to come
and identify the suspect and she turned out to be the person
that duped him.
However, the State Police spokesman, Mr. Frank Mba, said the
suspect had been involved in many fraud cases. Mba, however,
appealed to members of the public, who might have fallen victim
to the suspect’s antics to come to his office or the
State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti. Yaba, Lagos.
He said the suspect would soon be charged to court for fraud-related
offences.
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