27th September, 2017
Paul Iyoghojie
The police in Lagos have arrested three suspected criminals, specialising in snatching handbags and handsets from unsuspecting members of the public in Ajegunle area of the state.
The gang was said to operate on okada around the area.
The arrest of the suspects, according to a Police source, was made possible by a team led by DSP Olaniyi Festus, Officer in-charge of Strike Unit one at the Federal Special Anti-robbery Squad,FSARS, at Adeniji Adele Road, Lagos.
The suspects are: David Osagie, 23; from Uromi, Edo State, Mike Abolaji,16 and Femi Agborode,20.
According to the police, nemesis caught up with the suspects when some concerned residents of Ajegunle tipped off the Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP in charge of FSARS, Mr Ibrahim Kaoje that suspected thieves using motorcycle to snatch handbags and handsets from members of the public were making life unbearable for them in the area.
A Police source said that following the report, Kaoje dispatched a team led by Festus to the area to conduct a discreet investigation on the suspects and arrest them.
It was gathered that after days of decoy surveillance and intelligence gathering,the Police team swooped on the suspects’ hideout in Ajegunle and arrested the three of them.
Items recovered from the suspects includes operational unregistered motorcycle, two stolen phones and a cutlass.
Duriing preliminray investigation, the suspects allegedly confessed to the crime that they specialised in robbing people using okada around Ajegunle, Wharf and Suru Alaba area of Lagos between 8.00pm and 10.00pm armed with cutlass and knife and that once they come across any man or woman clutching a handbag or making calls with expensive phones they would move closer to them and snatch their bags or phones and escaped to sell the stolen items to their customer simply called ‘P0po’ at Nasamu area of Ajegunle.
A Police source said that the suspects would be charge to court after conclusion of investigations.