Police uncover vehicle fraud syndicate, recover exotic cars, buses
By Imisioluwa Afunmiso
The Lagos State Police Command has uncovered a coordinated vehicle fraud syndicate allegedly responsible for fraudulently obtaining exotic vehicles worth over N1 billion from dealers through deception, dud cheques and false representations.
Commissioner of Police, CP Tijani Fatai, disclosed this on Tuesday during a press briefing at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, where he presented the outcome of a harmonised investigation into three interrelated cases of conspiracy, obtaining goods under false pretence, fraudulent conversion, stealing and issuance of dud cheques.
According to the police commissioner, the cases were initially reported separately by different complainants but investigations later revealed that the same criminal network was behind all three incidents, prompting detectives to merge the investigations.
Fatai said the syndicate specialised in deceiving vehicle dealers into releasing high-value vehicles by claiming payments would be made after disposal of the vehicles or by issuing post-dated cheques that were later dishonoured.
In the first case, the police arrested one Muritala, who allegedly obtained vehicles under the false promise of making payment after selling them.
During interrogation, Muritala reportedly confessed to the crime and identified one Fatai Balogun, also known as “Eleku”, as his accomplice.
The commissioner said further investigations revealed that Balogun was already under investigation by the SCID over similar offences.
He allegedly admitted participating in the fraudulent transactions and disclosed that the vehicles were handed over to one Otunba Olamilekan Ismail, who is currently at large.
Investigations linked Balogun to the fraudulent acquisition of 12 exotic vehicles from different dealers.
Using intelligence-led operations and the AUTOREG vehicle tracking platform, detectives recovered a Toyota RAV4 (2010 model), a Toyota Highlander (2007 model) and a Toyota Highlander (2017 model).
In the second case, three complainants accused Balogun, Ismail Olamilekan and others of conspiracy, fraudulent conversion, stealing and issuance of dud cheques.
Police investigations revealed that the suspects allegedly obtained seven vehicles valued at about N700 million after falsely claiming they were supplying the vehicles to prominent politicians in Abuja.
The suspects reportedly issued post-dated cheques as payment, all of which were dishonoured when presented at the bank.
Balogun allegedly confessed to disposing of the vehicles to different buyers.
Detectives recovered a 2020 Toyota Hiace bus and a 2018 Ford Edge SUV during the investigation.
The third case involved Balogun, Bashiru Babatunde and other suspects accused of fraudulently obtaining 10 Toyota Hiace buses (2016 model) valued at N320 million.
According to the police, the suspects claimed they were acting on behalf of one Alhaji Ismaila and another person identified simply as Segun, both of whom remain at large.
The payment was allegedly made with a post-dated cheque which was returned due to insufficient funds.
The commissioner said detectives recovered eight of the buses in damaged condition, while two buses valued at N56.5 million are still missing.
The suspects reportedly told investigators that the vehicles were acquired on the instructions of Alhaji Ismaila for purported political campaign activities.
Fatai said comparative analysis of the three cases showed they were executed by the same criminal syndicate using a similar operational pattern.
According to him, the group targeted reputable vehicle dealers, obtained vehicles through dud or post-dated cheques, quickly transferred them to third parties, converted the proceeds for personal gain and used intermediaries to conceal the identities of the principal beneficiaries.
He said the command has so far recovered a Toyota Highlander (2017 model), Toyota RAV4 (2010 model), Toyota Highlander (2007 model), two Toyota Hiace buses (2016 model), a Toyota Hiace bus (2020 model) and a Ford Edge SUV (2018 model), while efforts are ongoing to arrest fleeing suspects and recover the remaining vehicles.
The police commissioner assured residents that the command would continue to dismantle organised criminal syndicates operating within and outside Lagos State.
He also advised vehicle dealers and business owners to carry out thorough due diligence before releasing vehicles, particularly where payment is made through post-dated cheques or transactions involving unfamiliar intermediaries.