How a Fake Doctor Swindled a POS Operator of N21 Million and Got Involved in Organ Trafficking

How a Fake Doctor Swindled a POS Operator of N21 Million and Got Involved in Organ Trafficking

How a Fake Doctor Swindled a POS Operator of N21 Million and Got Involved in Organ Trafficking

The Nigeria Police Force has arrested a man who posed as a medical doctor and defrauded a point of sale (POS) operator of Twenty One Million Naira (N21,000,000) in Owerri, Imo State. The man, identified as Igwe Gift Okechukwu, was also found to be involved in organ trafficking and other criminal activities.

According to the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who paraded the suspect on Friday in Abuja, Igwe was reported to the Force Criminal Investigation Department by the victim, Anita Chinwe Mathias, who is a POS operator with several branches in Owerri.

Anita narrated how she met Igwe at a shopping mall in Owerri, where he introduced himself as Dr. Henry Ovie, a neurologist who had just been transferred from Portharcourt to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owerri. She said that Igwe collected her phone number and befriended her. He later told her that he was expecting some money and that he wanted to use her POS to collect it. He then sent Five Million Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N5,500,000) to her account, which made her trust him.

However, on 11th September, 2023, Igwe tricked Anita to enter a code on her POS machine, which enabled him to withdraw all the money in her POS account, which amounted to Twenty One Million Naira (N21,000,000). Anita said that she tried to contact Igwe, but he had changed his phone number and disappeared. She also went to the FMC, where Igwe claimed to work, but she was told that there was no such doctor there. She then reported the case to the police, who launched an investigation.

The police traced Igwe to Lafia in Nasarawa State, where he had rented and furnished an apartment. He was arrested and brought to Abuja for interrogation. The police discovered that Igwe had multiple identities, phone numbers, and emails that he used to commit various crimes. He also had no record on the National Identity Management Commission portal or any other Nigeria Information Database.

The police also found out that Igwe was involved in organ trafficking and that he had a contact in Toronto, Canada, who helped him to sell human organs. The police said that they are working to track down his accomplices and recover the stolen money.

The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, commended the officers who arrested Igwe and said that the case shows the determination and professionalism of the force to fight crimes and criminality and to ensure the safety and security of Nigerians.