It was the end of the road for a syndicate of three men and a lady who specialised in stealing brand new phones at retail shops in Delta State using newspapers as a disguise as they have been arrested by men of the state police command.
During their arrest, nine new phones recently stolen by them were recovered by the police operatives.
Following a series of reported stealing of mobile phones from shops in Asaba and its environs, operatives of the command, acting on credible intelligence, on Saturday, July 25, arrested the four syndicate members at their hideout and their names were given as John Omarocha, Kelvin Onogho, Nkechi Nnaji and Ufuoma Joshua.
Preliminary investigation by the operatives indicated those arrested were members of a syndicate specialising in stealing brand new phones from retail shops.
Their modus operandi showed that the arrested persons, in the guise of buying items from shops and supermarkets, used newspapers to cover phones on display and take them away when leaving the shops.
The syndicate engaged the lady among them whose job was to waybill the phones to Lagos where their IMEI numbers are altered before they are sold to members of the public.
During their interrogation, they were said to have confessed carrying out the act and they had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for more investigation while efforts are on to identify and arrest other members of the syndicate.
