Police arrest Kano resident ‘who swapped ATM cards while pretending to help bank customers’

The Kano police command says its operatives have arrested one Juliet Osasi, who allegedly stole the ATM cards of bank customers.

In a statement issued on Monday by Abdullahi Kiyawa, spokesperson of the Kano command, the police said Juliet was arrested in Sabon Gari area of the state.

She was said to have confessed to pretending to assist customers at ATM points, during which she swapped the cards.

Juliet was reportedly found to be in possession of 17 ATM cards at the time of her arrest.

“On 18/03/2022 at about 1730hrs, a team of Operation Puff Adder led by SP Daniel Itse Amah, Divisional Police Officer, Nassarawa Division, while on surveillance patrol along Murtala Mohammed Way intercepted one Osasi Chinozom Juliet, ‘f’, 24 years old, of Enugu Road, Sabon Gari, Kano,” the statement reads.

“The suspect has been on the wanted list of the command for fraud-related cases. On spot search, she was found in possession of 17 ATM cards from different banks.

“After her arrest, one Yusuf Tijjani, ‘m’, complained that, on 17/03/2022, the suspect approached him while seeking assistance to operate an ATM, deceitfully collected, and changed his ATM card, and withdrew the sum of N15,000 from his account.

“On investigation, she confessed to the crime. She further confessed that she specialised in swapping ATM cards by claiming to be a staff of the bank where she met customers to assist them to operate the machine.

“She has ATM cards from almost all the banks in Kano, making it easy for her to swap the ATMs. She claimed to have withdrawn money from many people’s accounts after swapping their ATM cards.

“Discreet investigation revealed that the suspect deceived, swapped the ATM cards of many victims, and withdrew money from their bank accounts.

“She has been charged to court for prosecution.”