Police burst robbery gang, recovers phones, cars

The Police in Lagos State on Friday said they smashed an armed robbery gang that lured phone sellers to hotel rooms to rob them.

Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr Fatai Owoseni told journalists in Ikeja that four suspects that had been arrested, shot their victims before dispossessing them of valuables.

“We have got 12 cases of this nature which led to covert operations.

“They shot one of our policemen on the leg when he took phones to them under disguise, but the police eventually arrested the kingpin, which led to the arrest of two others.

“One KIA Optima car, four expensive phones, wristwatches, camera, laptop computer and substance suspected to be Indian hemp, were recovered from them.

“We are still out to get other members of the gang, as this is believed to be just a unit out of several other units the suspects have”, he said.

Owoseni also paraded five suspects for presenting themselves as haulage contractors, just to cart away unsuspecting victim’s property.

According to the commissioner, their motive is to divert and sell goods given to them, while they dismember the trucks and sell to spare parts traders.

“They have confessed to diverting some other trucks with flour worth N6million which they were supposed to transport.

“The receiver has been traced, and will also be arrested”. he said.

He added that two suspects who specialised in forging vehicle particulars, with which they sell stolen vehicles to unsuspecting members of the public, were also arrested at Festac.

Owoseni said investigation was on to arrest other members of the gang.