A 50-year-old man has been apprehended for allegedly using counterfeit bank alerts to acquire merchandise in Kano.
Aminu Abdullahi, hailing from Kofar Nassarawa Quarters in Kano, was arrested after he attempted to buy two cartons of spaghetti worth N35,000 from a merchant in the Gwale area using a fraudulent bank alert.
According to SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa from the Kano Police Command, the thief took advantage of his striking similarity to the well-known local cleric, Sheikh Dr. Abdallah Usman Gadon Kaya, to mislead sellers.
The details of his capture were shared by Kiyawa, who stated, “On November 22, 2024, a report was filed by Sunusi Aminu from Gwale Quarters informing that on the same day, a man named Aminu visited his shop, claimed to be a younger brother of Sheikh Dr. Abdallah Usman Gadon Kaya, and successfully took two cartons of spaghetti valued at N35,000, while manipulating a fake bank alert on his phone.”
“Presenting himself as related to the esteemed Sheikh allowed Aminu to leave without the shopkeeper verifying the transaction alert.”
“Upon conducting a follow-up, the shopkeeper found no such transaction in his account.”
In response to the complaint, CP Salman Dogo Garba of the Kano State Command assembled a team led by SP Abdulrahim Adamu, the DPO of Gwale Division, to investigate the matter.
The police team promptly located and arrested the suspect.
During initial questioning, Aminu admitted he was not related to Sheikh Dr. Abdallah Gadon Kaya and acknowledged that he had indeed orchestrated the fraudulent alert.
Aminu further disclosed that he had employed this deceitful technique multiple times, stealing from various shops, all due to his resemblance to the noted cleric.
He confessed to having defrauded victims of goods amounting to over N2 million.
Kiyawa added that after Aminu’s arrest, 20 other complainants came forward with allegations against him, revealing he had duped them and made off with their valuables.
The Commissioner of Police has ordered that the case be handed over to the Command’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for a thorough inquiry.
“Anyone who recognizes this individual or has a grievance regarding his actions is encouraged to visit the Kano State Police Command Headquarters via the Public Relations Office (PPRO), or reach out to the investigative team at 08166999948,” Kiyawa stated.
The suspect is expected to face charges in court following the investigation’s conclusion.