The Lagos State Police Command has smashed a suspected car theft syndicate accused of using fake drivers to steal their employers’ vehicles.
The Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, while addressing journalists at the command headquarters in Ikeja, on Monday, said the gang leader, identified as Chinedu Emmanuel, was arrested during an operation which took place on July 17, in the Ogijo area of Ogun State.
According to him, Emmanuel recruited criminally-minded drivers and recommended them to unsuspecting car owners for employment.
The police boss explained that the drivers took over the vehicles of their employers after spending a week or two with them and thereafter took them across the border.
He added that they sometimes dismantled the cars in Ogun State and sold the spare parts to dealers.
He said, “On July 17, at the Ogijo area of Ogun State, a team of detectives arrested one David Emmanuel, who is the leader of a gang that specialised in deceiving owners into employing them as drivers. The guy recruited mischievous and criminally-minded drivers and sent them out to be employed and once they were employed, after one or two weeks, they would take over your vehicle and before you knew it, they would get it across the border. They also dismantled some in Ogun State.”
He said Emmanuel confessed to the crime during interrogation and led detectives to the Iba area of Lagos State, where another suspect, 36-year-old Ifeanyi Obi, was apprehended.
The CP added that during further investigation, the suspect took the team to the Ladipo area of Lagos State, where it was confirmed that the stolen vehicles had been dismantled.
“All the parts were gone. Investigation is still ongoing and the suspects will be charged in court,” Jimoh added.
The CP also disclosed that on July 12, operatives of the command apprehended a 26-year-old ex-convict, Bello Aminu, for snatching a Toyota Camry from its owner.
He added that the suspect had barely spent two weeks outside before committing another crime.
He said, “Operatives of the command apprehended one Bello Aminu, who is an ex-convict, who had just been freed from prison, but engaged in another crime by snatching this Toyota Camry from the owner. He was promptly intercepted, and the vehicle was recovered.”
He also revealed that a Lexus worth N75m was intercepted in the state by crack detectives, while the driver had yet to produce the documents of the vehicle for about two months.
Giving a breakdown of the command’s achievements during the period under review, Jimoh said 68 criminal suspects were arrested in various parts of the state.
He disclosed that the suspects were involved in crimes ranging from suspected murder, grievous harm, cultism, unlawful possession of firearms, advance fee fraud as well as those who stole vehicles from where they were parked
“For these cases, I want to underscore that we have recovered four vehicles that are being used by the men of the underworld to carry out once-chance.
“We equally recovered a Mercedes-Benz E-350 worth hundreds of millions of naira. We also recovered 17 assorted firearms. We recovered several phones and laptops, and other incriminating items,” he added.
