The Ogun State Police Command has arrested three suspects for allegedly hacking into the WhatsApp account of the state’s Criminal Investigation Department head, Deputy Commissioner of Police Bode Ojajuni, and defrauding his family and friends of over N1.1 million.
The Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, disclosed this while parading the suspects and others involved in various crimes at the command headquarters in Eleweran, Abeokuta.
Ogunlowo identified the suspects as Tolani Jeremiah (31), Akande Suru (20), and Edwin Jatto (24), who were apprehended at their hideout in Edo State. The trio allegedly hacked into DCP Ojajuni’s WhatsApp account and sent messages to his contacts, requesting urgent financial assistance.
“The suspects hacked the WhatsApp account linked to GSM number 08034062773 belonging to DCP Bode Ojajuni of the State CID, Eleweran. Using the account, they deceived the victim’s friends and family into transferring funds to a Moniepoint account: 6862703892, bearing the name Ichioma Ojo. They defrauded their victims of N1,115,000,” the CP said.
According to Ogunlowo, six mobile phones, including a Redmi Android phone and several other devices used in the hacking operation, were recovered from the suspects. Investigations revealed that the suspects used a Gmail account to bypass WhatsApp’s one-time password security system.
“The suspects confessed to the crime and are part of an internet fraud syndicate preying on innocent citizens,” Ogunlowo added.