Police nab suspected phone thieves in Bayelsa

• The police also recovered various items during the operation, including four tricycles, five iPhones, fourteen Android phones, six button phones, amulets, and charms used during their criminal activities
• The gang consists entirely of male members, namely Daniel Patrick (31), Oyinmi Gideon (37), Abdulmalik Sa’adu (22), Ebenezer Samuel (37), David Ebikabowei (27), and John Okon (38)
  

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The State Intelligence Bureau of the Bayelsa State Police Command has reported the apprehension of a criminal gang known for their modus operandi of stealing mobile phones from unsuspecting passengers while posing as commercial tricycle (keke) riders.

Additionally, the police disclosed the recovery of various items, including four tricycles, five iPhones, fourteen Android phones, six button phones, as well as amulets and charms used during their criminal activities.

The gang comprises exclusively male members, identified as Daniel Patrick (31), Oyinmi Gideon (37), Abdulmalik Sa’adu (22), Ebenezer Samuel (37), David Ebikabowei (27), and John Okon (38).

Their arrests took place on September 7, 2023, in different locations within the Yenagoa Metropolis, where they operated using charms, following an extensive surveillance effort by the police.

A statement the State’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Asinim Butswat, said that “The suspects’ Modus operandi is to drive in pairs, one claiming to be a driver and the other a passenger, when they pick a genuine passenger, the driver distracts the unsuspecting passenger by arguing over transport fares, the other partner then steals the phone from the unsuspecting passenger.”

The stolen phones were reportedly sold at discounted rates to individuals named Abubakar Mallam (37), also known as Danmallam, Ibrahim Ahmed (25), and Iliya Isiaka (40).

The Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police, CP Tolani Alausa, has urged the public to contact the Police Public Relations Officer if their phones were recently stolen, as the police are working with the suspects to investigate the matter.