Nov 13, 2012

Nigerian arrested over dead man's account fraud


A Nigerian, Abiodun John, has been arrested on suspicion of trying to get into the bank accounts of a British engineer murdered in the Alps alongside family, Get Surrey reports.

Officers acting on behalf of Surrey Police arrested John, 33, in Salford and took him in for questioning.

Fraud squad detectives are investigating claims that attempts were made to access Saad Al-Hilli's accounts at the Royal Bank of Scotland and HSBC by telephone after his murder.

Al-Hilli, his wife and mother-in-law were found shot dead in his car near the village of Chevaline in eastern France on September 5 this year.

The Al-Hillis' young daughters, Zainab and Zeena, survived the attack, while French cyclist Sylvain Mollier was also murdered.

Officers raided John's flat in Alban Street and seized paperwork and a number of mobile phones.

He was taken to a police station in Manchester after his arrest, where he was quizzed and then released on police bail pending further investigations.

John is due to answer his bail at Guildford police station on Tuesday (today).

He has strongly protested his innocence and believes that his identity was targeted by hackers.

Nigerian-born John, who described himself as a self-employed field product consultant, said, "I believe that people have been tapping into my phone and accessing my internet.

"When the police came into my house I did not know what they were talking about. They were talking about a dead man and said that I did it - took some money from a dead man's account.

"Somehow they connected this to me. I do not know where this has come from. They took me to the police station and they explained why I had been arrested. I was completely shocked.

"I did not know where the police were coming from.

"I am totally innocent. I do not know where this whole thing has come from."

John is being represented by Sale-based John Black Solicitors.

Senior partner Mr. Black said, "He maintains his innocence and says that he himself is a victim. My client will deny any charges should they be brought against him."

It is understood Al-Hilli's bank cards were found on his body after the shootings, and the fraud probe is not a theft investigation.

A spokesman for Surrey Police said, "A 32-year-old man from the Greater Manchester area was arrested on September 25 in connection with an ongoing fraud investigation. He was released on bail until November 13 pending further enquiries."

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