The gallant operatives of the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad (RRS) has arrested an 18-year-old suspect identified as Seun Jimoh, who ran away from auto engineering to pickpocketing on early hours on Tuesday, in Oshodi while in the act.
The suspect, who decked in brown jacket and trousers, and a hand bag like a business executive, before his arrest, had already stolen four mobile phones from unsuspecting commuters in an early morning rush in the area, and was about to remove N18,000 from the pocket of a commuter during another bus stampede when he was caught.
According to a report, unknowingly to him, two of his victims were on the lookout for him after suspecting him for being in custody of their missing phones. While standing at Oshodi under Bridge, they spotted him removing money from the pocket of a passenger, Gbenga Odeniyi.
At that point, his earlier victims, Onuh Austine and Onesimus Paul raised an alarm, which made Jimoh to promptly drop the money and take to his heels but RRS operatives close to the scene chased and caught him.
The operatives after listening to all the accusations, requested the victims’ phone numbers which were dialled and they were found in Jimoh’s handbag.
The suspect later confessed at the RRS's Headquarters, saying that he stole the two phones during a bus stampede.
"On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, I am always in Oshodi pickpocketing. I stole an average of eight phones on Mondays and maybe like nine phones on Fridays. I don’t really get more than five phones on Wednesdays.
"I'm an orphan. I was brought to Lagos by my uncle. He enlisted me in an auto mobile workshop but I ran away from there to Mushin where I honed my skills in pickpocketing. All the phones that I stole, I sell them in Alaba Rago to some Hausas. They buy fairly used phones and materials from people. I have been in this business since 2013. I have never been caught or imprisoned before.
"Nobody needs to train you on how to pickpocket. It is so easy and the idea came naturally to me. You can do it but you do the easy ones. I get to Oshodi by 6:30 a.m. and I leave after operations around 9:00 a.m. I sell Nokia Microsoft N7,000; Infinix Hot N8,000; Tecno Y series, N7,000 – N9,000 and small Samsung phones N4,000," he confessed.
Confirming the arrest, the State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Superintendent of Police, SP Dolapo Badmus, re-assured people of Lagos, of maximum security in place in the state.
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