An organised crime group involving luxury automobiles allegedly conned car dealerships out of almost N1 billion in a string of coordinated scams, according to the Lagos State Police Command.
The recovery of multiple vehicles that had been shipped from Lagos to Abuja and other regions of the nation and sold to unaware customers was reportedly the result of investigations into three interconnected incidents.
Several car dealers lodged complaints, prompting detectives from the State Criminal inquiry Department (SCID) in Panti to initiate an inquiry, which Commissioner of Police Tijani Fatai revealed during a Tuesday speech at the Command Headquarters in Ikeja.
His account is that the investigations led them to a criminal organization whose suspected leader, Otunba, is still on the run.
The police have named Fatai Balogun, also known as “Eleku,” as one of their main suspects; they have also connected the criminal ring to Muritala, Bashiru, Segun, and Otunba.
According to CP Fatai, Muritala was the main suspect in the first investigation; she allegedly bought cars from dealers and planned to pay for them once they were resold. Balogun allegedly confessed to taking part in the transactions and giving the cars to Otunba when Muritala accused him during questioning.
Rumour has it that 12 exotic vehicles bought from different dealers and allegedly related to Balogun are the result of additional investigations.
Using the AUTOREG vehicle monitoring software, intelligence-led operations were able to retrieve a 2010 Toyota RAV4 as well as 2007 and 2017 Toyota Highlander SUVs.
According to the police commissioner, the second case began with three victims who had filed charges accusing Balogun, Otunba, and others of stealing seven cars worth about N700 million.
Police said the accused bilked dealers out of money by writing post-dated checks that were subsequently voided, all while pretending the cars were for well-known politicians in Abuja.
As part of his confession, Bagogun acknowledged selling the cars to multiple purchasers. According to Fatai, a 2020 Toyota Hiace bus and a 2018 Ford Edge SUV were later found by the detectives.
The third case involves allegations that Balogun, Bashiru, and others obtained ten Toyota Hiace buses valued at N320 million on the pretext of carrying out Otunba’s orders. According to the police, there weren’t enough monies to cover the transaction, therefore a post-dated cheque was returned.
Two buses, worth a total of N56.5 million, are still missing, while eight of those buses were found later, damaged.
The defendants allegedly said they were purchasing the cars for Otunba’s political campaign, according to authorities.
According to CP Fatai, the same criminal syndicate was responsible for all three incidents since they shared a common operational pattern.
He claimed that the gang preyed on respectable auto dealerships, acquired automobiles via defective or post-dated checks, swiftly transferred ownership to outside parties, and utilised middlemen to hide the identity of the main benefactors.
A 2010 Toyota RAV4, a 2007 and 2017 Toyota Highlander SUV, two 2016 Toyota Hiace buses, a 2020 Toyota Hiace bus, and a 2018 Ford Edge SUV have all been retrieved thus far, according to the command.