A 22-year-old undergraduate of a university in the state, Nicholas Lambert, and three others, has been arrested by Imo State Police Command for allegedly defrauding a Dane, Jeanette Brunsma, of €15,000, while impersonating a United States of America Army sergeant.

Parading Lambert and his accomplices – Collins Njoku 22; Bright Chukwuezi, 23; and Chukwuemeka Ononiwu, 27 – the state Commissioner of Police, Dasuki Galadanchi, said 11 laptops and 20 phones of different brands were recovered from them.

The CP said the suspects engaged in “advanced fee fraud, otherwise known as yahoo-yahoo to defraud the Dane.”

He said, “After defrauding Brunsma of the €15,000, the suspects made a fresh demand of €1,500.

“The prime suspect, Lambert, met the victim on Facebook, bearing a fake name, Johnson Mills, in order to commit the crime.”

Explaining how the suspects were arrested, Galadanchi said the victim flew into the country and lodged a complaint at the state command headquarters which led to investigations by the police.

He said the victim’s statement was followed with “a digital construction analysis,” which led to the arrest of the suspects within 24 hours.

“The exhibits recovered from the suspects include 11 laptops and 20 phones of different brands.”

The prime suspect confessing said:
“I met Jeanette on Facebook; I claimed to be a US solider to defraud him of €15,000. “After the initial payment, I demanded another €1,500, after which I was arrested by the police in my hotel room.”

He said the other suspects were not aware that he made another demand on the Dane.