Kano State Police Command has arrested one Yusuf Abdullahi of Gano town in Dawakin Kudu Local Government area for allegedly defrauding traders using fake bank alert.
The command spokesman, Abdullahi Kiyawa, in a statement on Tuesday, said the suspect was arrested following the receipt of complaints from three different traders within the Kano city.
Mr Kiyawa, a superintendent of police, said the traders had complained that sometimes in January, someone with a police uniform with the name tag “Abdullahi Sarari”, went to their shops, made purchases of goods worth N104,000, collected their bank account details and claimed to have respectively made transfers to their various bank accounts.
He added that though the traders did not receive alert of the payments at that moment, they allowed him to go, considering that he was in police uniform.
However, according to Mr Kiyawa, the suspect had not been picking their calls ever since.
The spokesman further stated that on receiving the report, the commissioner of police, Sama’ila Dikko, detailed a team of Operation Puff Adder, led by Lamara Shalele Azare, a deputy superintendent of police, to arrest the culprit.
“The team immediately swung into action and following sustained efforts and prolonged follow-up, the suspect was arrested,” Mr Kiyawa said.
“On investigation, the suspect confessed to the crime and further stated that he had a passion for joining the Police, tried many times, and failed in exams”, adding that “he then met his tailor to sew the police uniform he used to intimidate and defraud members of the public.”
“The Commissioner of Police, Kano State Command, CP Sama’ila Shu’aibu Dikko, fsi ordered for discreet investigation, after which case will be charged to court for prosecution.
“He further warns that criminals will have no hiding place in Kano State. They are advised to either repent or leave the state altogether. Otherwise, they will be arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law.
“He thanked the good people of Kano State for their prayers, encouragement, continuous support and cooperation. He urged residents to pray for the state of the nation and report incidences to the nearest police station, and not take laws into their hands.
“Rigorous patrol and raids of criminal hideouts and black spots will continue throughout the state, as the command will sustain the ongoing Operation Puff Adder,” said Mr Kiyawa.
