Operatives of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command have busted a car theft syndicate that specialised in stealing vehicles from Abuja and selling them in Lagos State.

The FCT Commissioner of Police, Benneth Igweh, during a parade of suspects on Monday, disclosed that luck ran out of the gang when a friend to one of their victims whose car was stolen in Abuja travelled to Lagos for an engagement only to see the stolen car of his friend at a car stand, put up for sale.

He subsequently alerted the victim to come to Lagos and check the car. On getting to Lagos, he confirmed the car to be his stolen Toyota Camry and informed the FCT police.

The CP said police detectives deployed to the scene, discovered that the original Chasis of the stolen car had been changed, the car was recovered and the criminals arrested.

Igweh revealed, “On May 1, 2024, at about 3 pm, acting on credible intelligence, police operatives of Apo Legislative Quarters, trailed and arrested two notorious car theft suspects namely, Anthony Chibuzor and his friend, Jonas Chikwe, both males of Lagos State who had been on the wanted list of the command.

“They are part of a notorious car theft syndicate terrorising the FCT and its environs. Three vehicles to which the suspects gave no satisfactory account were recovered including a Toyota Camry with Reg No. Lagos 23, an Audi A4 with Reg No. KRD 349 JD and a Honda Accord Sports with Reg No. BDG 42 JC, some of which the Chassis No. had been altered by the suspects.”

Regarding the arrest of one-chance robbers, Igweh said, “On April 7, 2024, at about 10.30 pm, police operatives from the Maitama Division, while on a routine patrol along Nicon Junction, heard a loud cry and swiftly mobilised to the location, where a victim of an armed robbery (one chance) incident, pushed out of a vehicle was found and dispossessed of all her belongings.

“In response to this, the police operatives gave the hoodlums a hot chase forcing them to abandon their vehicle and took to their heels.

“Information recovered from the vehicle led police operatives to the arrest of four suspects, namely Hamza Ibrahim, Mubarak Abubakar, Abubakar Suleiman and Mohammed Lawal

The suspects who freely confessed to the commission of the crime will be charged in court soon.

“On May 12, 2024, at about 11:26 pm, following the report of one Mohammed Musa of Durumi that on the same date, one Kabiru Umar of the same address, broke into his Point of Sale shop and stole the sum of N300, 000.”