Doctor arraigned for N28 million car theft, fraud

A medical doctor, Michael Williams, 26, was yesterday arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrates’ for allegedly defrauding a car dealer and stealing a Porsche Car worth N28 million.
Williams, who was arrested following a petition by the complainant, Mr Abidogun Adewale, a Lagos-based car dealer, pleaded not guilty to the offence and was granted bail in the sum of N2.5 million with two sureties.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Y.
O.
Aje-Afunwa, while granting him bail said the sureties must be gainfully employed with an evidence of three-year tax payment to the Lagos state government and adjourned the case to August 6.
According to the Prosecutor, Peter Nwangwu, the accused, who resides at 2667, Hilton Layout, Lekki Area of Lagos, allegedly committed the offences on May 10, 2018, at Ajah, when he stole a Porsche car valued at N28 million, property of the complainant, Mr Abidogun Adewale.
The Prosecutor also alleged that the medical doctor turned hacker, who was apprehended by the Federal Special Anti Robbery Squad (FSARS) in Ikeja, following a petition against him by the complainant, was found to have also stolen a Toyota Corolla car belonging to one Omopeyin Oluwaseun and valued at N3.5 million.
He said investigation revealed that Williams, worked with front-line hospitals in Lagos, uses hacking tricks to perpetuate fake business transactions online by hacking into customers accounts with banks and other financial institutions as well as monitoring their private emails.
According to the Prosecutor, Williams used proceeds of his criminal ventures to fund his lavish lifestyle as well as bought goods worth millions of naira with stolen credit cards and also made false payments to unsuspecting victims.
The accused he said met his Waterloo in March, when owner Mr Adewale petitioned the Commissioner of Police in charge of Lagos state alleging that the accused bought a Porsche car valued at N28 million and made electronic transfer into his bank account but on visiting his banker, he discovered he had actually received a false bank alert.
“The accused is a member of a syndicate that goes to car shops, buys a car, configures a computer program that would send a fake payment alert to the seller and by so doing, obtains a car The accused thereafter requested for the complainant’s bank account number and made it look like he had paid him via the fake alert to his phone using HTTP tunnel.
com., the prosecutor alleged.
He said manhunt was launched by the Police leading to Williams arrested in Asaba, Delta state, where the stolen car was recovered, just as the accused also led detectives to Owerri, Imo state, where two Camry cars he reportedly stole in a similar fashion were recovered.
Ina related development, a 28-year-old man, Yunusa Musibau, has been remanded in Kirikiri Prisons for allegedly defiling a 12-year-old girl.
An Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting in Lagos, ordered that the accused, whose plea was not taken, be remained pending advice from the state Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Chief Magistrate, Mr P.
E.
Nwaka, directed that the case file should be sent to the DPP for advice and adjourned the case till July 30, for the mention.
Earlier, the Prosecutor, Christopher John, told the court that the accused, who is being tried for defilement, committed the offence on June 17, 2-18, at Camp 1, Water Point, Ojo Cantonment, Lagos.
He said that the accused waylaid the girl on her way from the farm, dragged her into the bush, tore her clothes and had sexual intercourse with her, adding that it was the victim’s mother who heard her shouting from the bush and rushed there, and caught Musibau in the act.
The offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, the prosecutor said.