‘Commissioner of police, DSP’ detained in Anambra

A suspect parading himself as the Delta State police commis­sioner and another claiming to be a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) have been arrested and now detained by detectives from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Anambra State police command.

The fake police officers, 43-year-old Ada Eze claimed to be a DSP, while Israel Chukwukeme posed as the CP in Delta State.
Ada Eze was alleged to have duped several victims, promising to get them an auctioned car before the two of them were rounded up at Nnewi, Anambra State by police operatives.
The Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Mr Karma Hassan, who con­firmed the arrest, told Saturday Sun that the suspect, Ada Eze has used her fake police identity card to dupe over 30 peo­ple at Nnewi. Some of her victims include Gabriel Azegba who paid her N265,000 for an auctioned car and number plate; and Chukwuadu Eze who lost N35,000.
It was learnt that Ada Eze had prom­ised the victims that they would get the cars in October but later told them that the Commissioner of Police in charge of the auction had travelled to Abuja. When the suspect came under too much pressure from her victims, she would in the pres­ence of her victims call Israel Chukwuke­me who often posed as CP in charge of Delta police command, who in turn would assure the victims that the auctioned cars would soon be released to them.
It was further gathered that it was one of the victims, Onyebuchi Omeke who suspected the voice of Israel Chukwuke­me as a member of his church choir.
This made the suspects to report the case at SARS office where the officer in charge, James Nwafor ordered operatives to work on the syndicate. Detectives there­after invited Israel for church ministration. The following day, the suspect showed up in the church and was arrested. His arrest led to that of Eze on November 6 while both are now being detained in SARS cus­tody, Awka.
In her confession, Ada Eze said: “It is true that I have been falsely parading my­self as a DSP. I also collected money from people, promising them that I would get them auctioned cars and goods. My hus­band is a police inspector who worked in Delta State Police Command. He was shot by armed robbers when they were taking the suspect to court. The other gang mem­bers laid ambushed for them and shot my husband to death in 2002 with other police officers. I didn’t see my husband’s corpse because the armed robbers carried away my husband’s corpse till date. I have seven children for my husband and since he died in 2002, no help has come from the police or his family. She added: “It was suffering that prompted me to turn myself to a fake police officer.”
The suspect begged for forgiveness from the police authority and called on the Inspector General of Police to look into her issue, saying her husband, the late In­spector Aloysius Eze died in 2002 and that since then she has not got his gratuity or pension.
While also narrating how he got into the mess, another suspect, Israel Chuk­wukeme said: “I went to Madam Eze’s shop to drink and she called me that I should pose as CP Delta Police Command and should tell some people on phone that their auctioned cars and goods will soon get to them. I am a choir member in my church and it was when the victim sus­pected my voice, they called me to come and play for them in the church and I went there.”
He added that when “my father heard that I have been arrested, he died on the spot on November 6, the very day I was arrested.” CP Karma, however, said that the suspects will soon be charged to court for impersonation and fraud.