Romance Scam: Nigerian Man Allegedly Defrauds US-Based Nigerian Woman Of Over N40m, Cars, Landed Properties And More
A man, Sylvester Ehiarinmian, has been arrested for allegedly defrauding a US-based Nigerian woman in a romance scam.
According to Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 2, Lagos state, AIG Ahmed Iliyasu, Ehiarinmian, 43, made love advances to Mary Ope, 40, who is married with children, promising to marry her.
The married mother stated she naively fell into the suspect’s scam net and he allegedly defrauded her of several millions of Naira and landed properties.
The victim, who owns a farm in the FCT, Abuja, reportedly had the intention of setting up other businesses in Nigeria and she was introduced to Ehiarinmian as someone capable of providing security to and from her farm.
Police report states that they got in contact and the suspect was said to have made a love advance at her, with a promise to marry her, even though she claims he was aware she was married.
She alleged that she “hypnotically” fell in love with the suspect who dispossessed her of both cash and properties.
AIG Ahmed revealed that the suspect obtained the sum of $15,000 (N5.7million) from her to procure visa for the victim’s sister, another $10,000 (N3.8million) he proposed to purchase carpets for an office they both agreed to operate and N40 million for the establishment of a medical laboratory.
Mary that when the ‘scale fell off her eyes‘, she petitioned the Zone 2 Command, Onikan, Lagos state to fish out the suspect.
Ehiarinmian was arrested and the following items, belonging to the victim, were recovered:
Two Toyota Sienna Space buses (05/07 models) marked RBC 564 BB and YAB 101AZ; two unregistered Toyota Sienna Space buses (05/07 models); Toyota Highlander (01 model), with Registration No. YAB 768 SD; bunch of keys of a storey building comprising two bedroom flats and two self contained apartments.
Also recovered were;
One bedroom flats with boy quarters in Apo Resettlement Abuja; documents in respect of a ‘900sqm land, located in Wasa District, Abuja along with Certificate of Occupancy (C of O); documents of a 900sqm land, situated in Angwan Tiv area of Apo Resettlement Area, Abuja; a 900kVA generating set and nine copies of Deeds of Assignments for a property in Apo, Abuja.
Yet to be recovered from him are;
A Mikano Generating set, two duplexes in South Africa, the sum of $15,000 (obtained for the victim’s sister’s visa), $10,000 (for purchase of office carpets) and N40 million he collected from her for the establishment of a medical laboratory.
When questioned, Ehiarinmian denied the allegation, saying;
I did not defraud her. She is my girlfriend. We had a misunderstanding and she boasted that she had powerful people who would deal with me. Let us go to court, that is what I want.
