A 30-year-old man, Wisdom Mmaduka, was arrested and paraded by the Imo State Police command on Saturday for allegedly duping six women with fake marriage proposals.
The Imo State Police headquarters in Owerri also presented other suspects involved in various crimes.
The State Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, described the suspect as an “advance fee fraudster”.
He explained how the suspect was caught: “Detectives of Owerri Area Command used intelligence and data tracking analysis to nab the notorious and advance fee fraudster named Wisdom Mmaduka, 30, from Onicha.
“He tricked Miss Judith into giving him N1,400,000 through ATM transfers by pretending to want to marry her.
“The investigation revealed that the suspect’s strategy is to target rich single ladies, offer them marriage and then swindle them of their money.
“He has a group of people who act as his parents and relatives, who he introduces to these unsuspecting ladies in his hometown in Mbaise as proof of his sincerity.
“Once the ladies are convinced of his good intentions, he will snatch their ATM cards, empty their accounts, and disappear.
“Surprisingly, when he was arrested, six women he had cheated came to the Police station, confirming that he had taken large amounts of money from them with the same marriage promise.
“A red Highlander Jeep with Reg No. LLD 54AR that he had stolen from one of his victims, Rose Mgbe, from Cross River State, was also recovered.
“Furthermore, he has a duplex that he allegedly built at Naze with the money he made from his frauds. He has been taken to the Federal High Court, Owerri, and kept in Police custody.”
However, the suspect, Mmaduka, denied the allegations, saying, “I only took money from two women. I don’t know about six women.
“I did not steal their money. They gave it to me willingly. One of them even said she would buy a car for me.
“I did not coerce them. They did it for me out of love. One of them even gave me the money to start a business for her and I did.”
