Nigerian footballer with Turkish citizenship arrested in Istanbul for 2.5 million TL fraud

A Nigerian footballer with Turkish citizenship is currently cooling his heels in police net after he was arrested in Istanbul for fraud worth over 2 million Turkish Liras and being a part of an organized crime gang in Turkey.

Uche Odimba, who has played for 17 amateur teams in Türkiye and holds Turkish citizenship, has been accused of committing fraud in collaboration with an organized crime gang. 

It is alleged that 33-year-old Odimba who has been in the country since at least 2010 and had adopted the name Arda after obtaining Turkish citizenship, orchestrated a fraud scheme worth 2.5 million Turkish Lira.

According to a report by Ekol TV, Odimba lured a person from Bulgaria into a trap with the false claim of "inheritance" using fake identities and documents. The victim, believing Odimba, sent 2.5 million lira. 

Realizing he had been defrauded, the victim reported the situation to the authorities. Following the complaint, the teams took action and identified the suspects. Odimba, who was found to be in Istanbul, along with three accomplices, was taken into custody. 

During a raid on the organized crime gang Odimba was associated with, authorities seized fake documents, electronic devices, and evidence related to the fraud.

It was revealed that Odimba who is the leader of the gang provided the gang with a bank account and received a large share from each fraud. Odimba and his companions were brought before a judge and were arrested and sent to prison.

Odimba, a licensed football player registered with the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), played for 17 different amateur teams in Türkiye. It was noted that he had not played for any team since leaving Çal Belediye in 2020.