The Gombe State Police Command has arrested five suspects in connection with alleged criminal conspiracy, possession of counterfeit United States currency, and substances suspected to be mercury.
The arrests followed intelligence-led operations carried out by officers attached to the Dukku Divisional Police Headquarters.
According to the Police Public RelationsOfficer DSP Buhari Abdullahi, four of the suspects were apprehended at about 11:00 a.m. in Dukku town while in possession of counterfeit foreign currency.
The suspects were identified as Kabiru Abubakar, 29, of Dugge Quarters, Dukku; Abubakar Aliyu, 30, of Basirda Quarters, Dukku; Abdulrahman Mustapha, 22, of Ramin Kura, Kaduna State; and Isah Alhasan, 45, of Sheka Quarters, Kano State.
Police said the suspects were found with a total of 304 pieces of One Hundred United States Dollar ($100) counterfeit notes.
“During the course of investigation, the suspects confessed to the offence and further indicted the fourth suspect as the supplier of the counterfeit currency,” the Command PRO disclosed.
In a related development on the same day, police operatives arrested two additional suspects at about 8:00 a.m. in possession of substances believed to be mercury.
The suspects, identified as Muhammad Muhammad, alias Malam, 40, and Abubakar Bala, alias Boza, both from Nasarawa State, allegedly admitted during interrogation that the substance was intended for use in the production of counterfeit currency.
“They confessed that the substance suspected to be mercury was allegedly used in the production of fake currency,” Abdullahi added.
All suspects are currently in police custody while further investigation continues to unravel the full extent of the syndicate and recover additional exhibits.
The Gombe State Police Command reaffirmed its commitment to combating financial crimes and urged members of the public to provide timely and credible information to aid ongoing security efforts.
