The police have arrested a suspected fraudster,
Uchenna Ugwu, for allegedly defrauding some women and later raping them.
The 26-year-old indigene of Enugu State, while
being paraded at the Awka, Anambra State office of the Department of State
Service, confessed to the crime, adding that he raped his victims to fight
boredom.
It was learnt that Ugwu belonged to a syndicate,
which specialised in luring ladies while pretending to be spiritualists,
defrauding and raping them.
Our correspondent learnt that the mode of
operation of the group was to lure women into their trap and initially tricked
them into disclosing their ATM PIN codes.
It was learnt that if a victim refused to comply,
the group would threaten to inflict a strange ailment on her based on a
spiritual power they possess.
PUNCH Metro gathered that having
succeeded, the gang members would take their victim to an arranged prayer
house, where she would be compelled to take a oath never to disclose her
experience to anyone.
The victim would then be raped on the pretext of
making a charm for her.
Our correspondent learnt that that was how Ugwu
and his group operated in Asaba, Delta State, and Obosi, in the Idemili North
Local Government Area of Anambra State for a long time, before luck ran out on
Ugwu.
He was arrested by the DSS based on petitions
from some of the victims.
Ugwu, who said he stopped his education at
primary six due to financial constraint, said he turned to crime to survive.
He said, “I joined this business to fight boredom
because my former work was not going on fine and had shut down.
“My parents, who are still alive, are poor and
because they cannot sponsor my education, I had to stop at primary six.”
Ugwu, while begging for forgiveness, said he was
a changed man.
“I have suffered a lot in the hands of these
people (DSS) and I promise not to indulge in this act again in my life; this is
a lesson to every young man that doing evil is not the best,” he said.
A lady, who said she was a victim, told PUNCH
Metro she believed she was hypnotised.
She said, “I believe he used a charm on me. He
told me if anybody heard about what happened, I would not live to tell the
story.
“To be sincere, I did not know what I was doing.
I lost my sense of reasoning during the process until after he raped me.”
The Director of DSS, Alex Okeiyi, said the antics
of the hoodlums were many, warning members of the public, especially females,
to be cautious.
Okeiyi said, “It is noteworthy that since
agencies in the state with the support of the government kept kidnappers and
armed robbers in check, undesirable elements resorted to fraudulent practices
including rape.”
Source:Punch
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