Graduate defrauds business partners, lavishes proceeds on car, travels

The Lagos state police command has arrested and is now investigating a certain Gladys Assah-Assor, for allegedly defrauding her business partners of over N5m.

The suspect, a graduate who has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba, was alleged to have opened a catering shop, bought a car, and traveled to different places with the proceeds.

 It was learned that the 35-year-old Cross River State indigene worked as a network marketer for a company in Ikeja, Lagos State. She introduced a friend Nkiruka Okon into the business.

The said Nkiruka, agreed to purchase the product, Healthy Halogen Oven, for N12,000 per unit, and sell at N20,000. She was said to have investedN4.5m into the business, with an expectation of N7.5m, including profit.

However, the suspect was alleged to have fled with the money and was untraceable for over one year.

She was apprehended by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad who got a complaint from Okon.

Upon interrogation, the suspect confessed saying:

“‘I met Okon in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, in 2008 while she worked with a commercial bank. We were just friends then.
“But later in 2015, I marketed Healthy Halogen Oven, a product imported into Nigeria by a network marketing company.
“As a network marketer, my duty is to bring potential customers and partners into the business for a win-win profit-making both for the customer and myself.

“I told Okon about the oven, which was one of the products of the company, sold for N12,000 at company price.
“We agreed to partner in buying large quantities of the product. We agreed to put together the financial capital. I would also do the marketing and transportation of the product to the customers.”

Nkiruka speaking on the incident said:

“I made a deposit of N4.5m into Gladys’ (Assah-Assor) account based on the agreement that after sales, I would collect N7.5m. But she refused to stick to the plan.
“After I contacted her for my share, she refused to pick my calls and absconded for over one year. That was when I realised that I had been duped by the person I thought was my business partner.
“All effort to persuade her to pay my money proved abortive, as she gave me different excuses.
“During one of our confrontations in 2016, Gladys issued me dud cheques of N3m, N2m and N2m, making N7m in total. But the bank told me the cheques were not payable.”

Police discovered this won't be the first time the suspect would be involved in fraud.

The police spokesperson, ASP Olarinde Famous-Cole, said the case had been transferred to the SCIID, Yaba, for further investigation.

Punch