Operatives of the Delta State Police Command have arrested a six-man kidnapping and armed robbery syndicate while one locally-made gun and three live cartridges were recovered from them.
PUNCH Metro gathered that on May 15, 2023, a victim (name withheld) of kidnapping/armed robbery reported at Ovwian Aladja Police Station that he was intercepted by some suspected kidnappers who abducted him and his wife.
According to the victim, the kidnapping and armed robbery suspects put him and his wife in the trunk of their car and drove them to an unknown destination where the hoodlums emptied his bank account through bank transfer before releasing them.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bright Edafe, on Sunday, said on May 20, following a series of intelligence-led investigations, the detectives arrested a POS operator (name withheld), into whose account the hoodlums had always transferred money from their victims’ accounts.
The POS operator, who claimed ignorance of the antecedents of the suspects, cooperated and availed the police with credible information that led to the arrest of the gang leader named Adim Onweiyali, 33, on June 1.
The suspect led policemen to the houses of other gang members and also to the house of one 56-year-old Akporido Stanley, who hide the weapons for them.
One locally-made gun and three live cartridges were recovered from the suspects who are currently in custody, while an investigation is ongoing.
In another development, on June 3, 2023, while police operatives attached to the Ekpan Police Station were on a stop-and-search duty, they intercepted a tricycle with four occupants.
But one of the passengers suddenly jumped and escaped.
When the tricycle was searched, one locally-made cut-to-size gun and four live cartridges were recovered.
The police arrested two other accomplices namely Ogheneovo Abdnego, 17, and Chidi Okpanachi, 31.
