A 28-year-old Nigerian man was detained in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on suspicion of setting up more than 250 businesses to launder money for other international offenders.
On Saturday, April 27, 2024, HCMC police arrested Eneh Davidson Caleb, his Vietnamese wife Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, 35, and 11 other people on suspicion of money laundering and illegal cross-border money trafficking.
Police were notified earlier this month about a Ukrainian company that had fallen victim to identity theft via phony email addresses. At the fraudsters’ request, the company had consented to transfer funds into specific HCMC bank accounts.
Police tracked the money’s movement and found that it was moved around a few times before being taken out and shipped to Cambodia.
Subsequently, investigators found that the ring was a foreign organization working with Vietnamese accomplices. To determine the group’s precise identities and locations and to put an end to all of their illegal activities, police launched a thorough investigation.
Investigators identified 13 suspects concerning the case. They discovered that the suspects had established 250 businesses in total, either through their efforts or by employing third parties to do so. They had also opened fraudulent bank accounts they used for criminal activities, investigators said.
The police then identified over 100 bank accounts related to the case.
Law enforcement agencies conducted raids on 12 locations to seize physical evidence, having by that point gathered all the digital evidence they required. 234 seals from companies established for the purpose of money laundering were seized by special forces at the residence of Caleb and his spouse.
