SECURITY agencies in Kuwait have nabbed two Nigerians for allegedly robbing an exchange office in Mahboula.
The Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior said in a statement that the Criminal Security Sector, represented by the General Department of Criminal Investigations in the Ahmadi Governorate, apprehended the suspects within 24 hours after the robbery.
The gang allegedly stole foreign currencies valued at approximately 4,600 Kuwaiti dinars before they were captured.
According to the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior, investigations showed the gang carefully planned the crime, watching exchange offices from rooftops and using stolen plates to hide their vehicles.
They were accused of monitoring the offices to identify busy times and avoid detection.
Authorities said one of the suspects was caught in Mahboula and confessed to surveilling the area and informing his accomplice when the coast was clear.
The other suspect was found in Al-Qurain Markets, where stolen money and a bag of “crystal meth” were recovered from his home.
“Efforts of the detectives resulted in the arrest of one of the accused in the Mahboula area, where he admitted to monitoring the locations and informing his colleague that they were empty of customers in order to carry out the robbery. The other accused was also arrested in the Al-Qurain Markets area, and the stolen money and a small bag containing the narcotic substance Shabu were found in his home,” the Interior Ministry said.
The authorities noted that the suspects and seized items had been referred to the Public Prosecution Office for further action.
However, the Kuwait authorities did not name the suspects.
Nigerians had been accused of crimes in Kuwait. In 2021, a Nigerian was arrested for hacking and perpetrating a bank fraud that affected Bahrain and Kuwait, resulting in a loss of huge funds.
The suspect, Michael Chibuzi Okonko,29, was accused of cybercrime.
He allegedly hacked into the banking systems of the Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait and transferred a whopping Rs 5.43 crore from three clients’ accounts to 78 other accounts across different Indian states.
The police tracked the funds and found that they were routed to accounts in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, and Assam.
When arrested, the police said Okonko seized a bunch of devices, including 11 mobile phones, two hard drives, three laptops, and a SIM card.
A reporter with the ICIR
A Journalist with a niche for quality and a promoter of good governance