Ukachukwu Austin Dike: How 45-year-old Briton was arrested in London over alleged ID fraud

The National Crime Agency (NCA), a United Kingdom’s law enforcement agency, on Friday, March 10, 2023, said it has arrested a 45-year-old British-Nigerian – Ukachukwu Austin Dike, in North London over identity fraud offences that allowed him to operate under multiple identities and open bank accounts.

“Ukachukwu Austin Dike, originally from Nigeria, was arrested by officers from the NCA’s Complex Financial Crime Team on Wednesday [8 March], at an address in Nicoll Circus, Mill Hill, and charged yesterday,” a statement by the NCA on Friday.

Although the NCA’s statement did not state that Dike is also a British national, findings by Neusroom revealed that he is also a UK citizen.

According to information obtained by Neusroom from the UK government’s company registration website on Friday, March 10, 2023, Dike was born in April 1977, he is a British and his technology consultancy service company with office in Tottenham, North London, was incorporated on October 10, 2017.

The NCA accused Dike of fraudulently obtaining and using multiple driving licenses and aliases to open bank accounts and set up various companies, that could then facilitate further serious and organised crime.

“Officers carried out searches of other addresses linked to Dike in Northwest London, and seized his phone and other digital devices,” the NCA’s statement added. “He appeared before Willesden Magistrates Court on Thursday where he was charged with fraud by misrepresentation and producing false documents and was remanded in custody until his next hearing on 6 April at Harrow Crown Court.”

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David Smithers, Senior Investigating Officer at the NCA, said: “These types of offences are known to facilitate high-harm and high-volume fraud and are something we commonly see in romance fraud cases, where there is a need to launder the proceeds of crime.

Dike’s arrest is coming less than six months after Nigerian celebrity hacker Raman Abass Olorunwa aka Hushpuppi was handed 136 months’ imprisonment in the United States over multiple internet fraud and ordered to pay back $1.7 million in restitution to his victims.

According to the UK Fraud Act of 2006, Dike may get a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment if found guilty.