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| The suspect |
By Dele Ogunyemi (Punch)
A 34-year-old man, Ayuba Adavo, has been arrested by operatives of Delta State Police Command for allegedly raping a young lady in Warri metropolis.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the suspect was arrested on Monday morning based on the strength of a case reported by the victim, a 25-year-old lady (name withheld), of Sapele-Warri Road.
The lady had reported that the suspect suddenly blocked her way at about 8pm while she was along Amagiya Road, Sapele, and dragged her to his room where he threatened to shoot her with a locally made cut to size gun and forcefully had carnal knowledge of her.
The lady further told the police that the suspect thereafter slept off because he was heavily drunk.
It was gathered that the victim on noticing that the suspect was fast asleep eventually sneaked out and ran to the Sapele Divisional Police Station where she reported the case.
Consequently, a patrol team of detectives were drafted to the scene and the suspect was promptly arrested, with one locally cut to size gun and one live cartridge recovered from him.
The Police Public Relations Officer for Delta State Command, DSP Bright Edafe, while confirming the incident told our correspondent that investigation is ongoing in the matter.
In another development, on Sunday, at about 10pm, a police patrol team attached to Sapele Division, while on operation show of force, saw a Toyota Camry spider car with reg NO. GRA 291 RL being driven in a suspicious manner. The patrol team on convoy went after the said vehicle and chased it to Olympia Area.
The hoodlums, on noticing that the police were chasing them, opened fire on the operatives who responded in kind.
The hoodlums who could not withstand the firepower of the police abandoned the said vehicle and fled into the bush.
Upon searching the vehicle, one locally made double barrel pistol and five live cartridges were recovered.
The police said investigation has commenced and efforts are on top gear towards arresting the fleeing hoodlums.
Meanwhile, another team of police patrol operatives from Agbarho division have rescued a kidnapped victim, one Mudia Efe of Abraka, during their township patrol on Sunday.
Our correspondent gathered that the patrol team sighted a grey colour Lexus 330 Jeep with Reg. No. KWL 841 BM. The driver on noticing the police reversed and sped off.
The team trailed the escaping Lexus Jeep to Sobotie Street Agbarho where the suspected vehicle fell into a ditch and the suspects quickly disembarked from the vehicle and ran into a nearby bush.
Mudia Efe was rescued in the incident and he told the police patrol team that the hoodlums kidnapped him from Abraka, and the vehicle which belonged to the victim was recovered.
It was gathered that manhunt for the fleeing suspects is ongoing.
The Police Command also arrested one 38years old Ojo Amos of Agbara-Otor, Ughelli North Local Government Area who reportedly specialises in stealing ATM cards from unsuspecting victims.
On 2/11/2021 at about 1300 hours, upon a tip-off that the suspect was seen in a POS Stand located beside First bank Ozoro branch, the Divisional Police Officer, Ozoro detailed operatives who swung into action in conjunction with the chairman Olotu vigilante in the town who were deployed to the scene and arrested the suspect.
When searched, a total of 33 ATM cards and a cash sum of N50,000 were recovered from the suspect who also confessed that he stole one of the cards from one Rufai Abdulahi at Zenith bank, Kwale branch and left immediately adding that he later withdrew the sum of N250,000 from the victim’s account.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect usually stays behind his victims at ATM machines waiting and targeting people who he feels are not too educated including aged women and children, and once he noticed that they are having problems operating the ATM machine, he moves closer to them pretending to be a bank staff trying to help them, and in the process, he swaps the ATM card.
The suspect who confessed to having been engaged in this illicit act for the past four years told the police that he watches his victims as they enter their ATM pins, memorises it and after swapping the ATM cards, he uses either a POS stand or ATM machine to empty their bank accounts.
Commenting on the arrests, the Commissioner of Police for Delta State, CP Ari Muhammed Ali advised members of the public to learn from the cases regularly reported by the command and also urged the citizenry to be law-abiding.
The CP specifically enjoined the public to be vigilant when making use of their ATM cards and ensure that only uniformed bank staff be allowed to assist them when the need arises.
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