The State Intelligence Bureau of the Bayelsa Police Command has successfully dismantled a criminal gang notorious for stealing mobile phones using tricycles.
The operation comes in response to a surge in mobile phone theft cases in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa.
According to SP Asinim Butswat, the spokesperson for the Bayelsa Police, 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 a sustained surveillance effort by the Police.
The Spokesperson said that the operation resulted in the recovery of four commercial tricycles, various types of mobile phones, and miscellaneous items from the six-member gang.
He explained that the suspects’ modus operandi involved driving in pairs, with one posing as the tricycle driver and the other as a passenger.
He futhered that when they picked up a legitimate passenger, the driver would engage in a heated argument over transportation fares to distract the unsuspecting passenger. Meanwhile, the accomplice would seize the passenger’s phone.
Butswat revealed that subsequently, they sold the stolen phones to individuals known as Abubakar Mallam (alias Danmallam), Ibrahim Ahmed, and Iliya Isiaka at significantly reduced prices.
The Bayelsa Commissioner of Police, Mr. Tolani Alausa, has called on individuals who recently had their phones stolen to contact the Police Public Relations Officer for possible identification and recovery.
Butswat noted that the suspects are cooperating with the Police in ongoing investigations and will be charged to court once the investigation is concluded.
He stated that This operation signifies the Police’s commitment to addressing the issue of mobile phone theft and ensuring the safety of residents in Yenagoa.
The State Intelligence Bureau of the Bayelsa Police Command has successfully dismantled a criminal gang notorious for stealing mobile phones using tricycles. This operation comes in response to a surge in mobile phone theft cases in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa.
According to SP Asinim Butswat, the spokesperson for the Bayelsa Police, 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 a sustained surveillance effort by the Police.
The operation resulted in the recovery of four commercial tricycles, various types of mobile phones, and miscellaneous items from the six-member gang.
The suspects’ modus operandi involved driving in pairs, with one posing as the tricycle driver and the other as a passenger. When they picked up a legitimate passenger, the driver would engage in a heated argument over transportation fares to distract the unsuspecting passenger. Meanwhile, the accomplice would seize the passenger’s phone.
Subsequently, they sold the stolen phones to individuals known as Abubakar Mallam (alias Danmallam), Ibrahim Ahmed, and Iliya Isiaka at significantly reduced prices.
The Bayelsa Commissioner of Police, Mr. Tolani Alausa, has called on individuals who recently had their phones stolen to contact the Police Public Relations Officer for possible identification and recovery.
Butswat noted that the suspects are cooperating with the Police in ongoing investigations and will be charged to court once the investigation is concluded.