The police have arrested a suspected pickpocket with seven stolen mobile
phones belonging to gospel faithfuls that attended the annual musical
concert tagged ‘The Experience’.
The suspect,
Lateef Nurudeen of 10, Obadina Street, Lagos Island, was arrested by men
of Rapid Response Squad in early December, 2017 at around 12:45 a.m. at
the programme in Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos.
Lateef, 19 years
old, who was in company of his six other colleagues at the convention,
was sighted holding a bag where he concealed the seven stolen phones.
The
suspect who on interception by the officers posted to the venue of the
convention told the police on interrogation that he was a barber.
On
further scrutiny, Lateef claimed that he saw the bag underneath a
flower bed when he couldn’t give satisfactory answer about the contents
of the bag..
Found inside the bag were seven different mobiles phones, charms and
purse. The purse contained identity card and ATM debit card belonging to
one Chris Nkum Chinedu.
The suspect, sources revealed, confessed
to be the owner of the charms found inside the bag. Sources confirmed
that he used the charms for protection.
Already, investigators
have identified four owners of the seven phones. The owners, who
reported at the RRS headquarter in Alausa were: Ukwajiba Felix,
Ekhorelen Ruth, Kpanou Estelle and Kemi Ahmed.
The four owners
reported at the RRS headquarters when officers called their relatives
whose numbers were found on the stolen phones.
The owners who
have been looking for their mobile phones before leaving the venue of
the programme noted that they didn’t know when their phones were removed
from their bags and pockets.
One of the owners, Ukwajiuba,
stated that immediately he discovered that his phone was missing, he
reported the theft at Zone 2, Onikan, Lagos, where his details were
taken..
The suspect, Lateef, an ex – convict stated that he saw the bag
inside the flowers at TBS but owned up to being the owner of the charms
found inside the bag. He confessed that the two charms found in the bags
were for his protection, adding that he came to the church programme to
pray and not to steal.
Defending being in possession of charms at church crusade, he said,
“I pray a lot. The charms are for my personal protection. They have been
with me for ages. They were specially prepared for my protection
against evil. I came to the crusade to pray.
My friends that took to
their heels when police started questioning me are confirmed trouble
makers. They were at the programme only to cause commotion. That is what
they do and how they make a living.
I am a trouble maker too but I
came to that church programme to pray and not to steal. My friends ran
because they knew I would be arrested. I pray a lot and that was why I
was at the programme’, he stated.
Efforts to track down the suspect’s friends who were with him at
convention by RRS proved abortive as they have all abandoned their hide
outs.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Imohimi Edgal directed that
the case be transferred immediately to the Lagos State Criminal
Investigation Department while effort be intensified to arrest all other
suspects involved in the theft.
He ordered that the stolen phones be released to their owners once they can provide evidence of ownership.