A 63-year-old businessman, Austen Akinwuronu, who allegedly obtained the ATM card pin of a man fraudulently and withdrew N173,000 from his account, was on Monday brought before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court.
The accused was arraigned before the Magistrate, Mrs B.O. Osunsanmi, on a two-count charge of fraud and stealing.
Akinwuronu, who resides at Ejigbo, a Lagos suburb, however, pleaded not guilty and was admitted to a bail of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum.
Osunsanmi said the sureties should be gainfully employed with an evidence of two years tax payment to the Lagos State Government.
The prosecution had told the court that the accused committed the offences on February 6 at Iyana-Ipaja in the suburb of Lagos as he defrauded the complainant, Mr Anayochukwu Ojor, of N173,000.
ASP Ezekiel Ayorinde said the complainant ignorantly sent his Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) card number to the accused when he received a text from the accused that his Bank Verification Number (BVN) had been blocked.
“The accused sent a message to the complainant that his BVN had been blocked and that he should send his ATM pin so that it can be rectified.
“The complainant, who was not aware of the fraud being perpetrated by the accused, thought that the message was from his bank.
“He quickly sent his ATM pin and after few seconds, he received debit alert of N173,000 from his bank,” he said.
Ayorinde said the account name and number of the receiver of the N173, 000 was traced, tracked and the accused was arrested. The offences contravened Sections 287 and 315 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised).
Section 287 stipulates three years imprisonment for stealing, while Section 315 prescribes 15 years jail term for fraud.
The magistrate adjourned the case until July 7.
