The arrest was initially announced on Thursday by the Attorney General’s Office, followed by a detailed statement from the Judiciary Police (PJ) on Friday.
The PJ reported that, through the criminal investigation department (DIC) of Madeira, with support from the DIC of Setúbal, it launched the operation ‘Apagão’ and apprehended, in Seixal, a man strongly indicated for committing multiple crimes of qualified fraud and money laundering.
According to the PJ, the man contacted victims via mobile phone, introducing himself as an employee of the Empresa de Eletricidade da Madeira or E-Redes. He demanded payments for alleged fines, outstanding fees, or overdue debts, threatening to cut off the electricity supply if the payment was not made immediately.
The investigation, which began earlier this year, revealed that through this scheme, the fraudster allegedly acquired tens of thousands of euros, deceiving an undetermined number of victims, potentially exceeding two hundred, the police emphasized.
The PJ highlighted that the victims were from various regions of the country, with a significant incidence in the Autonomous Region of Madeira.
During the operation, three residential searches were conducted, allowing the collection of significant indicative and evidentiary elements of the repeated fraudulent activities by the suspect, who utilized international banking circuits to conceal and dissipate the obtained money.
The detainee has a criminal record for offenses such as drug trafficking, misuse of guarantee cards, devices or payment data, and computer/telecommunications fraud.
The police investigation continues to determine the total number of victims, the illicit amount acquired, and the final destination of these sums, the PJ noted, mentioning that this police operation was conducted in collaboration with the Portuguese Air Force.
