Mumbai Sessions Court refuses bail to Nigerian national involved in bank fraud

The Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait had lodged a complaint in the month of October 2021, after it noticed the siphoning of money from some of its customers’ bank accounts. A total of ₹5.43 crores was transferred to 78 different bank accounts.

The Mumbai Sessions Court has rejected the bail plea of a Nigerian national allegedly involved in siphoning off ₹5.43 crore of several account holders of the Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait by creating 78 fake accounts.

Michael Okhonko is the mastermind of the crime and used to pay ₹2,000 to every person who helped him open a new bank account. (MINT PHOTO.)

Rejecting the bail plea of Michael Okhonko, additional sessions judge M Sadrani observed that considering the evidence collected against the accused and the nature of offences, it was not a fit case to grant bail.

The Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait had lodged a complaint in the month of October 2021, after it noticed the siphoning of money from some of its customers’ bank accounts. A total of ₹5.43 crores was transferred to 78 different bank accounts.

The investigation was handed over to South Region, Cyber Cell police which also arrested Samir Khan, Prabhanshu Jatav, Dinesh Jatav, and Ravi Raje in connection with the case.

Assistant Public Prosecutor, Abhijit Gondwal had informed the court that when the police had gone to the accused’s address in New Delhi, they found 11 mobiles, two hard disks, three laptops and several SIM cards in his possession. All the SIM cards were purchased in the name of different people. The accused was arrested on October 31, 2021.

His VISA expired in 2016; still he was residing in the country illegally. Okhonko is the mastermind of the crime and used to pay ₹2,000 to every person who helped him open a new bank account.