Three cybercafe operators accused of duping unsuspecting students of Kaduna State University, KASU, of their tuition fees to the tune of N60 million, have been arrested by the Kaduna State Police Command.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Mansir Hassan, said in a statement on Wednesday that the suspected fraudsters have so far defrauded over 300 students of the university.
The police spokesman gave the names of the suspects as Muhammad Uthman Busari of Nariya, AbdulAzeez Hamza of Hayin Dan-Mani, and Noel Nims Audiya.
According to him: “The suspects, who are mainly cybercafe operators, compromised the students’ registration portal and took undue advantage of students who chose to pay their fees online rather than via the normal banking platforms.
“The suspects often collect tuition fees from students in full but will pay a lesser amount into the state’s Treasury Single Account (TSA) and go further to intercept and manipulate the electronic transaction receipts from the TSA to read the complete payment.
“So far, the suspects have shortchanged over 300 students of KASU, and the total amount involved is put at over N60 million, which the principal suspect, Muhammad Uthman Busari, had used in building and furnishing a house, purchasing of car, electronic appliances, gadgets, and plots of land in both Kaduna and Kwara states.
“The suspects have since been charged in court for prosecution. To checkmate the activities of computer-related crimes in the state, the Kaduna State Police Command wishes to inform members of the public of the newly established cybercrime unit by the Commissioner of Police, A.D. Ali, which is targeted at investigating cybercrime-related offences.
“Thus, victims of social media account hacking, fake purchase alerts, deceptive social romance, cryptocurrency and forex frauds, among many other offences within the state, should forward their complaints to the Commissioner of Police through the newly created unit for diligent investigation.”