Lagos Police Break Up Car Fraud Gang, Seize Seven Vehicles

The Lagos State Police Command has broken up a suspected criminal group that tricked vehicle dealers. They did this by using fake and post-dated cheques to get vehicles before selling them for personal profit.

Detectives from the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) at Panti carried out this operation. It was done on the orders of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Tijani Fatai.

The police shared a statement on Tuesday via X. The Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, said the success came after looking into three separate cases. These investigations uncovered what officials called a coordinated criminal operation.

The statement said the group allegedly used fake identities and fraudulent payment methods to get luxury vehicles from unsuspecting dealers, then sold them off. "The breakthrough followed investigations into three separate cases, which revealed a coordinated syndicate that fraudulently obtained exotic vehicles from dealers using false representations and dud or post-dated cheques before disposing of the vehicles for personal gain," the statement said.

Police confirmed that their investigations led to the arrest of some key members of the group, while others are still on the run. These recent arrests add to ongoing police efforts against vehicle fraud groups that use fake payment alerts, dud cheques, and false identities to get vehicles. They often sell these vehicles outside the state.

The police have repeatedly told vehicle dealers to check payments with banks before giving out vehicles, especially for high-value sales. Using smart operations and the AUTOREG Vehicle Tracking Platform, detectives managed to recover seven vehicles tied to this group. These include two Toyota Highlanders from 2017 and 2007, a 2010 Toyota RAV4, three Toyota Hiace buses from 2016 and 2020, and a 2018 Ford Edge SUV.

The police said they are still working to catch other members of the syndicate and find more vehicles believed to have been fraudulently obtained. "Efforts are ongoing to arrest the fleeing suspects and recover the remaining vehicles. The suspects will be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations," the statement added.

The police also called on vehicle dealers and business owners to be more careful when making sales of high-value assets. "The Lagos State Police Command advises vehicle dealers and business owners to exercise due diligence before releasing vehicles, particularly where payment is made through post-dated cheques or unfamiliar intermediaries," the statement said.