The Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Milverton,
Ikoyi, Lagos State, have arrested three persons for forgery and obtaining money
under false pretences.
The suspects have been identified as
Michael Adeoye, Ody Chidebe and Moradeyo Olalekan.
The suspects were alleged of specializing
in procuring fake health insurance certificate, visa and other vital travel
documents for prospective travelers.
The arrest was made after the Unit
received a petition from Deputy Consular-General/Head of Visa Operations,
Italian Embassy.
The petitioner further alleged that with
the fake health insurance certificate, Nigerians would apply for visa at the
Italian Embassy and this had been a source of worry as it affects the
operations of the Embassy.
The Unit spokesperson, Ngozi Isintume-Agu, explained: “In the course of investigation,
it was discovered that Michael Adeoye, 38, from Otun-Ekiti in Ekiti State, who works at
Nuyork Network Services at Mini Shop 2, TBS Lagos as a travel agent was the mastermind
of the whole crime.
“He usually commits the crime, using
Elvia Health Insurance Company based in Denmark and Asa Health Insurance
Company based in Germany.
“He confessed that he found the Health
Insurance Companies on line and has been defrauding the companies by booking
health insurance certificates for travelers without paying any money to the
companies.
“The cost for procuring the certificate
is 17Euro but they charge 47Euro which according to them was equivalent to N10, 000.00 and this fraud has been going
on since 2012.
“The second suspect, Ody Chidebe, 31, from
Nri, Anambra State and a graduate of Federal Polytechnic, Okoh, claimed to be
an Insurance Agent. He corroborated the confession of the first suspect, adding
that the business has been on since 2012.
“According to her, as an Insurance
Agent, she could obtain an insurance certificate from any source; whether
genuine or fake and the Elvia Insurance Certificate was given to her by Michael
Adeoye and they had been succeeding in using it to procure visa for travelers
until their act was discovered.
“The third suspect, Moradeyo Olalekan,
45, from Owu in Abeokuta, Ogun State, is a travel agent and the owner of Nuyork
Network Services where Michael Adeoye is presently working. His office serves as an avenue for
perpetrating the act.”
According to Isintume-Agu, Olalekan
confirmed that Elvia Health Insurance was one of the listed travel insurances
on the list of required and accepted health insurance, on the website of list
travel documents by the Embassy and could be booked on line.
He shifted the whole blame on Michael
Adeoye whom he said, was in a better position to explain the health insurance scheme
in question.
Other documents recovered in his office
are; international passports, which according to him belonged to different
people for booking of appointments or payment of visa fees in banks.
Isintume-Agu said that investigation was
on-going into the matter, adding that the suspects would be charged to court
soonest.
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