A joint security team of the Police and Anambra Vigilante have caught and detained six persons for allegedly contracting sick persons to obtain money under false pretence from the public.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement issued in Awka and made available to newsmen today.
According to the statement, police from Oba Divisional Police Office, and vigilante in the state, on April 16, raided an uncompleted building at Isu Village in Oba, Idemili-South Local Government Area and arrested six suspects, reports NAN.
He added that the suspects allegedly hired four sick persons to beg for alms from members of the public.
The suspects were identified as Doris Basil, 28, Peter Ezedike, 38, Susan Monday, 27, Ogechi Okoro, 27, Solomon Sunday, 29, and Kenneth Achi, 29.
The police spokesman also stated that the operatives recovered six mobile phones and ₦82,400 in ₦50, ₦100 and ₦200 denominations.
He added that the command also took into custody the four sick persons suspected to be suffering from brain tumour, breast cancer, and other terminal ailments.
Ikenga further stated that the command provided first aid for the sick persons and sought higher intervention for their treatment and safe return to their various families.
The statement quotes the Commissioner of Police (CP) in the state, Ikioye Orutugu, as saying that the offence contravened Section 419 of the Nigerian Criminal Code Act, which deals with obtaining property by false pretence, also known as “419 fraud”.
“It is a felony that carries a potential penalty of three years imprisonment,” the CP reportedly said.
He also expressed concern over the level of moral decadence among some Nigerians, who take undue advantage of sick persons to make quick money.
The statement also quotes him to have directed the immediate interrogation of the relatives of the sick persons to ascertain their culpability.
It noted that all the suspects would be charged to court upon the conclusion of the ongoing investigation.
