CYRIACUS IZUEKWE
A 49-year old trader at Alaba International Market, Ojo local government area of Lagos State, Christopher Tim, has landed in trouble after he refused to refund the sum of N1m mistakenly paid into his bank account, which he claimed was his luck.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the suspect, Mr. Tim, has been tracked and arrested by the Police Intelligence team from the Lagos State Command.
The incident happened at the Alaba Market, where the owner of the money, Gloria Annie, transferred the money from her Fidelity Bank account number 6322134765 to Mr. Tim’s GTBank account number 0008987054.
According to Police sources, the victim wanted to pay the money from her account and mistakenly paid it into Tim’s account. He was contacted and informed that it was an error and he should transfer the money back to the owner.
He was said to have replied that there was no way he would refund the money to the owner because it was his luck because he never asked anyone to pay such money into his bank account.
It was gathered every efforts made to make Tim to refund the money proved abortive. The suspect claimed that he had already spent the money and do not have any money to refund the owner.
The matter was reported to the Police and he was invited. He refused to show up at the Police Station before he was tracked, eventually arrested and detained for interrogation.
During interrogation, Tim still maintained his stand that the money belonged to him because it was his luck and he never asked the owner to transfer the money to his account.
Having been found culpable, the Police charged him before the Ojo Magistrates Court for allegedly stealing the money.
He pleaded not guilty before the Court when he was arraigned.
The prosecutor, Inspector E. Adesulu, then asked the Court to give a date for hearing since he pleaded not guilty to enable the Police to prove that he actually committed the alleged offence.
The Presiding Magistrate, Mrs. D.S. Oduleoya, granted him bail in the sum of N300,000 with two sureties in like sum.
He was remanded in the Correctional Centre at Kirikiri town, Lagos, pending when he will perfect his bail conditions while the matter was adjourned till 26th July, 2022, for mention.