By Chucks Nwonye
ASABA — Police in Delta State have raided a notorious cybercrime syndicate operating under the name “Hustlers Kingdom,” rescuing several young men who were allegedly lured with fake job offers and forced into internet fraud. One suspect has been apprehended while efforts are on to arrest the fleeing suspects link to the gang.
The operation, carried out by operatives of the Delta State Police Command, has once again exposed the growing trend of criminal gangs disguising internet fraud training centres as legitimate job opportunities, Forex trading schools and cryptocurrency academies.
Addressing newsmen, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Delta State Command, SP Bright Edafe, said the suspects would lure youths on the guise of job vacancies only to force them into joining internet fraud.
According to the police spokesman, the gang operated a well-organised recruitment network. Its agents scoured social media platforms, flaunting expensive cars, designer clothes and wads of cash to attract unemployed and unsuspecting young men from across the country.
The victims, many of them teenagers and young men in their early twenties, were promised training in Forex trading, Bitcoin trading and other legitimate online businesses. Some were told they would be given jobs with attractive salaries and accommodation.
On arrival at the gang’s hideout, however, the story changed. The police said the victims had their phones seized, their movements restricted and were handed laptops and forced to learn and carry out various forms of internet fraud, popularly known as “Yahoo Yahoo.”
Those who refused or failed to meet targets were allegedly beaten, starved and subjected to other forms of degrading punishment as a way of breaking their resistance and forcing them into compliance.
SP Edafe said the raid followed credible intelligence and complaints from concerned family members, leading operatives to storm the location, rescue the victims and arrest some members of the gang.
He said several victims have been rescued and are receiving necessary attention, while police are hunting for other members of the syndicate who fled during the operation.
The police spokesman warned parents, guardians and young Nigerians to be wary of suspicious job offers and get-rich-quick schemes advertised online, especially those that require young people to relocate to another state without proper verification.
He advised youths to always confirm the authenticity of any job vacancy or training programme with their families before travelling, and to report any suspicious recruitment to the nearest police station.
Meanwhile, the bust has sparked debate over whether all the recruits were truly deceived or whether some of them knew what they were getting into.
While the police insist that many of the victims were lured and held against their will, some members of the public argue that a number of the recruits may have gone willingly in search of quick wealth, only to cry out when the conditions became harsh.
The police say investigations are ongoing to determine the level of involvement of each person arrested, separate the victims from the perpetrators, and ensure that those found culpable are charged to court.
The Command has vowed to sustain its crackdown on cybercrime gangs and other criminal networks preying on vulnerable youths across Delta State.