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Phone, bag theft: Police alerts the public

Phone, bag theft: Police alerts the public

By Micheal Ofulue
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Residents of Akure, the Ondo State capital, who patronize the popular Oja-Oba market, have been advised to always be at alert to prevent their phones and bags from being stolen by  miscreants.

Investigation conducted by The Hope Metro revealed that at least an average of 10 mobile phones and bags are reportedly stolen inside vehicles, on daily basis by suspected miscreants, who normally besiege  the market square under the pretence of carrying out legitimate businesses.

When contacted on the development, the state police spokesman, Mr Femi Joseph, who confirmed the incidents, said the command has taken appropriate steps to check the menace, warned the public to be conscious of the miscreants, especially when parking their vehicles

Reports had it that the criminals whose modus operandi are  to dress well and be patrolling along Oba Adesida road, usually target innocent people who park their cars along the road either to buy something or transact  businesses.

Further investigations revealed that some of the victims, while parking their vehicles forget to wind up their glasses, unknown to them that the hoodlums are monitoring them.

The moment the car owner leaves the place, they  would move closer to the vehicles and quickly dip their hands inside the car and steal the cell phones or bags inside.

One of the victims, a  journalist and publisher of a local tabloid in the state who spoke under the condition of anonymity said his two phones were taken inside his car at a location along Car street in Oba Adesida road.

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“I lost my two phones into the hands of suspected miscreants that are in their numbers parading along Oja Oba area. I just quickly went to pick something and forgot my front glass was not wind up. Infact, I did not spend up to 60 seconds and on my return, I discovered that my two cell phones had disappeared.

“Immediately it happened, I moved to the office of the Special Anti-kidnapping Squad to lodge a complaint for tracking but I was advised to first retrieved my line.”

When our correspondent visited the Anti-kidnapping office at Alagbaka, one of the officers who spoke under the condition of anonymity said there was  no single day a case of phone theft was not reported in  their office

He said most of the affected victims normally come to lodge complaints for possible tracking adding that despite that mobile phones are not too expensive, hoodlums are bent on snatching or stealing phones of innocent people’s especially around Oba Adesida and Arakale areas of the town.

He, however, said the police is aware of their mode of operation and has launched manhunt for them, just as he advised car owners to always wind up their glasses whenever they are parking their vehicles.

According to him, tracking of a single phone, no matter the type cost between N15,000-N20,000 if the result of the tracking comes out and it was discovered the phone is out of the state, the person would pay mobilisation cost for the police to effect arrest.”

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