The State Intelligence Bureau of the Police Command in Bayelsa has successfully apprehended a gang of criminals who specialize in using tricycles to steal mobile phones, according to SP Asinim Butswat, the Police spokesperson in the state.
This accomplishment follows a surge in mobile phone theft cases in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa.
Butswat detailed that the suspects, identified as Daniel Patrick, Oyinmi Gideon, Abdulmalik Sa’adu, Ebenezer Samuel, David Ebikabowei, and John Okon, were apprehended at various locations within Yenagoa Metropolis after sustained surveillance by Police operatives.
The arrest resulted in the recovery of four commercial tricycles, assorted types of mobile phones, and various other items from this six-member gang.
The modus operandi of the suspects involves traveling in pairs, with one posing as the driver and the other as a passenger.
When they pick up a legitimate passenger, the driver engages in a dispute over transportation fares to distract the unsuspecting passenger.
Simultaneously, the other partner seizes the phone from the distracted passenger. The stolen phones are then sold at a reduced price to individuals identified as Abubakar Mallam (alias Danmallam), Ibrahim Ahmed, and Iliya Isiaka.
Commissioner of Police in Bayelsa, Mr. Tolani Alausa, has called upon members of the public whose phones were recently stolen to contact the Police Public Relations Officer to facilitate possible identification and recovery, according to Butswat.
He also noted that the suspects are cooperating with the Police in ongoing investigations and will be charged to court once investigations are concluded.
