iPhones, Macbook & More: Find Out How a Driver Who Stole His Boss' ATM Lavished the Millions (Photo)

Posted by Odinaka on Fri 09th Sep, 2016 - tori.ng

A driver has been nabbed in Lagos for allegedly stealing his boss' Automated Teller Machine card and withdrawing millions of nairas.

File photo: Yaba Magistrate’s Court

The operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested a driver identified as Mayowa Adenuga, and his accomplices in the crime, Adewale Opeyemi and Jeremiah Iyitoye, for allegedly stealing his boss’ Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card and withdrawing over N2.7m.

According to a report by Punch Metro, the 25-year-old Adenuga, who is also a computer expert, was employed as a driver by a lecturer at UNILAG, Prof. Simbo Banjoko.

It was learnt that the suspect had driven his boss to the Bells University on the day of the incident, and while waiting for his boss on the university premises, the driver found Banjoko’s Zenith Bank ATM card in the car and hid it.

When the victim did not notice that his ATM card was missing, Adenuga used software to uncover the card’s PIN code, and after withdrawing N200,000 from the bank account through the ATM, he allegedly bought four iPhones, valued at N495,000; one Macbook laptop, valued at N415,000; 10 wristwatches, a Blackberry and a ring. At the end, a total of N2,728,255 was withdrawn from the victim’s bank account.

The Lagos State Rapid Response Squad was later notified of the theft, and it transferred the case to the Anti-Vice Section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba.

According to a close source, the prime suspect, Adenuga, perfected the crime by blocking his boss’ telephone line so that he would not see the alert of transactions conducted on his account.

“The suspect is the lecturer’s driver. He is also a computer expert. He hid the ATM card for three days and when he saw that the man did not look for it, he used software to get the PIN. He called Adewale (Opeyemi) and handed over the card to him for safekeeping, saying it belonged to his sister.

“When he drove his boss out again at another time, he had access to the man’s phone and deliberately entered the wrong PUK number three times which led to the blockage of the line,” he said.

A police source explained that Banjoko, who noticed that his telephone line had been blocked, took it to a telecoms centre, where it was reactivated.

“At that point, he received 30 alerts that a total of N2,728,255 had been withdrawn from his account. He reported the matter to the police, and the case was transferred to the RRS.

“When the matter got to the Anti-Vice Section of the SCIID, the police arrested the driver and after interrogation, he confessed to the crime and named his accomplices.

“The police recovered two iPhones 6S Plus, two iPhones SSE, one Macbook laptop, seven GT Shock wristwatches, one Blackberry Z10, one ring and two bags,” the source added.

The suspects were arraigned at the Yaba Magistrate’s Court on two counts of stealing. The police said the offence was punishable under sections 409 and 285 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011

The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge, and the magistrate, Mrs. O.A. Erinle, admitted them to bail in the sum of N800,000 with two sureties in like sum.

The case was adjourned till October 17, 2016.