On September 13, 2019, Thompson RCMP received a report from a female who believed she had been the victim of an online romance scam. The victim states that back in July of 2019, she met a male on an online dating website and they began to converse.
Over the next several weeks, the victim was consistently misled by the male, whom she believed she was providing assistance to, as she believed she was in a romantic relationship with him.
In total, the victim forwarded a sum totalling over $50,000 at which point she contacted the RCMP with her concerns.
Thompson RCMP, along with Major Crime Services, began an extensive two-year investigation that involved the production and execution of numerous Production Orders resulting in hundreds of pages of documents being seized which were extensively reviewed by police.
On September 27, 2021, Thompson RCMP & Major Crime Services, along with the assistance of the Ontario Provincial Police Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (ROPE) unit arrested two males from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
The two accused, 41-year-old Amaechi Akalezi and 25-year-old Olanrewaju Agbaje, both from the GTA, were transported back to Manitoba and remanded into custody on charges of Theft Over $5000 and Fraud Over $5000. Both accused appeared in a Winnipeg court room on September 28, 2021.
Thompson RCMP continue to investigate.
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