FRAUD: Police arrests man for opening 24 accounts with one bank

The Police Special Fraud Unit has
arrested a 39 year-old-man it accuses
of specializing in opening multiple bank
accounts under different names to
defraud financial institutions and the
public.
The suspect, Okonkwo Nwachukwu,
was arrested after he allegedly
attempted to open another savings
account at a Zenith bank branch at
Amuwo Odofin, Lagos.
Mr. Nwachukwu claimed the multiple
accounts were to enable him beat the
government's cashless policy, to allow
his business run efficiently.
But a police statement on Sunday said
that Mr. Nwachukwu presented an
already completed savings account
opening package bearing the name of
Obiozor Ifeanyi and identified himself
as such with a National Identity Card.
"While the Customer Service office was
checking the documents, the suspect
went to the Marketing Unit and
collected another savings account
opening package and completed same
with another name Ogueji Nnamdi and
returned to the Customer Service Desk
and presented same for account
opening with another National Identity
Card bearing Ogueji Nnamdi," the
statement said.
"This attempt to open another savings
account within minutes with another
identity, made the Customer Service
Officer to be suspicious and
consequently, she decided to search
the system with phone number
08162502677 supplied by the
customer and discovered that the
same person had already opened about
twenty-five (25) savings account at
various branches bearing different
names.
"It was also further alleged that he
opened and operates a corporate
account number 1012000129
belonging to Chukon Integrated
Limited and he also identified himself
as Okonkwo Nwachukwu when he
opened the said account."
The police said the suspect, who is
from Okija in Ihiala local government of
Anambra State, is into cargo business
and accompanies goods from China to
Lagos.
"The suspect confessed to the alleged
crime but stated that the multiple
accounts he opened was to enable him
run his business successfully. That the
cashless policy does not allow him to
withdraw huge sum of money in one
account and as such, he was advised to
open multiple accounts so as to spread
his money," the statement, signed by
Ngozi Isintume-Agu, Public Relations
Officer, SFU, said.
"He added further that he has N50,
000.00 each in 15 different accounts
while the remaining accounts have
N20, 000.00, N10, 000.00 and N5,
000.00 respectively.
"He equally confessed that the
National Identity Card and PHCN bills
were all forged by one Pepper who is
still at large. The suspect came back
from China on 27th January 2014 and
started the multiple account opening
from 5th February, 2014 to 7th
February when he was apprehended,"
the police added.
Mrs. Isintume-Agu said that police are
continuing their investigation to
unravel the suspect's motive behind
the multiple account opening.