Frank Mba, police spokesman, disclosed this on Sunday.
He said: “The victim, who hails from Washington DC, USA, and is a retired civil servant in the US, arrived Nigeria on 13th February 2019 on a visit to one Chukwuebuka Kasi Obiaku, 34 years old, a native of Ikeduru LGA of Imo State, whom she met on Facebook.
“She was, however, rescued by police operatives attached to the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Ogun State Annex, following information received from a patriotic and civic-minded Nigerian in the Meran area of Lagos State.
“The rescue of the American lady is coming on the heels of a similar case of an abducted Philippino lady who was lured to Nigeria by her supposed lover whom she equally met on Facebook.
“Investigations reveal that the suspect, Chukwuebuka Kasi Obiaku, is a graduate of Business Administration and Management and an internet fraudster who has defrauded many unsuspecting members of the public both locally and internationally.
“Chukwuebuka deliberately lured the victim into the country under the pretext of love and deceitfully married her on 15th May 2019.
“He subsequently held her captive in a hotel, extorted from her monies amounting to a total of 48,000-USD.
“He also forcefully collected and took control of her credit and debit cards as well as the operation of her bank accounts, including the receipt of her monthly retirement benefits and allowances over the period of fifteen months.
“Chukwuebuka also used the victim as a front to defraud her associates and other foreign personalities and companies.”
He said all the suspects would be charged to court on conclusion of the investigation and prosecuted in line with the Cybercrime Prevention/ Prohibition Act, 2015.
Again, operatives of the Nigeria Police Cybercrime Unit, INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja, have arrested three suspects over cyber-related offences, including advance fee fraud, money laundering, and romance scam.
The three persons – Samson Inegbenosun (30 years), Blessed Junior (32 years) and Muhammed Zakari (36 years) – are all males from Uromi in Edo State.
The suspects were arrested in Uromi following investigations into suspected fraudulent online procurement and supply of COVID-19 protective masks, received through the INTERPOL NCB Wiesbaden, Germany.
In a statement on Sunday, DCP Frank Mba, Force Public Relations Officer, said investigations revealed that Samson Inegbenosun is an internet fraudster and a member of a Turkey-based online scamming syndicate.
According to Mba, Inegbenosun supplies foreign and local bank accounts to receive fraudulent funds and use the same as a conduit to other feeder accounts.
He also said the police had recovered from him, a building apartment worth N20,000,000.00, a Toyota RAV-4 2015 model worth N6,500,000.00, and a Toyota Matrix 2002 model valued at N2,000,000.00, which he allegedly procured with the proceeds of the crime.
He said the second suspect, Blessed Junior, returned to Nigeria from Italy in February 2020 but maintains close contacts and illicit dealings with his Italian associates.
Mba said investigations revealed that he had made over N120,000,000.00 from internet fraud and other cybercrime dealings.
“He also received the sum of 52,000 EUROs recently from his criminal associates in Italy as commission for his active involvement in an international cybercrime deal. He also owns a filling station established with the proceeds of the crime,” the police said.
On his part, Mohammed Zakari, allegedly an expert in internet fraud, identity theft, and impersonation, falsely claims to be a British citizen.
“He also poses to be one Kelly Galk on online dating apps which he uses to carry out romance scams and to defraud unsuspecting members of the public, locally and internationally.
“Investigation reveals he has made millions of naira from his illicit cybercrime transactions since he joined the syndicate.”
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