Nigerian man, his wife and 11 others arrested in Vietnam for alleged money laundering
A 28-year-old Nigerian man has been arrested in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, for allegedly forming more than 250 companies to launder money for other criminals based abroad.
Eneh Davidson Caleb, along with his Vietnamese wife Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, 35, and 11 others were arrested on Saturday, April 27, 2024, by HCMC police on charges of money laundering and illegal money trafficking across borders .
Earlier this month, police received reports about a company in Ukraine that had been scammed by a criminal group using fake email addresses. The company agreed to transfer money to certain bank accounts at HCMC at the request of the fraudsters.
By tracking the flow of money, police discovered that the money was transferred several times before being withdrawn and taken to Cambodia.
Investigators then discovered that the gang was a foreign group that cooperated with Vietnamese collaborators. Police launched a full-scale investigation into the group, collecting evidence to determine their identities and exact locations and crack down on all their criminal activities.
Investigators identified 13 suspects in connection with the case. They found that the suspects formed a total of 250 companies, either directly or by hiring someone else to do so. They also opened fraudulent bank accounts that they used for criminal activity, investigators said.
Police then identified more than 100 bank accounts linked to the case.
Having by then accumulated all the digital evidence they needed, police forces raided 12 locations to seize physical evidence. At the home of Caleb and his wife, special forces confiscated 234 stamps belonging to companies formed to launder money.
Authorities said the criminals were tricking foreign companies into giving them money that they would then transfer to companies formed in Vietnam, disguising themselves as partners of the deceived companies. These funds would then be transferred internationally several times before being withdrawn, according to authorities.
Investigators said the money would eventually be transferred to Yen Sao Kingfood facility on Le Dai Hanh Street in District 11 and Duc Long Gold Shop on Pham Van Hai Street in Tan Binh District. The money would then be transported to Cambodia, police said.
The raids at the two aforementioned locations resulted in the confiscation of 9 billion VND ($355,099) and $1.5 million in cash, along with other foreign currencies. Initial investigations revealed that the total value of illegal transactions at the Duc Long gold shop amounted to around 13 billion VND.
Further investigations into the case are ongoing.
Source: www.lindaikejisblog.com