Police smash car-snatching syndicate, recover stolen vehicles
Men of the Abia State Police Command
have smashed a car-snatching syndicate, which allegedly stole a Toyota
Highlander Sports Utility Vehicle at gunpoint along Finbarrs Road in
Umuahia, the state capital.
It was learnt that security operatives
attached to the Umuahia Area Command, while on a patrol, got a distress
call that a car had just been snatched from its owner and gave the
hoodlums a chase.
It was gathered that the operatives caught up with the hoodlums at Agric Research Institute along Ikot-Epene road.
A police source disclosed that the
hoodlums opened fire on the operatives, adding that at the end of the
gun battle, three members of gang, who sustained bullet wounds, were
arrested while three escaped.
Items recovered from the gang were one
Toyota Highlander with registration number JJJ 872 CX, one Mercedes Benz
car with registration number AG 467 NEM and one AK 47 rifle with two
magazines containing 31 rounds of live ammunition.
Others are one locally-made pistol with
four rounds of live ammunition, vehicle plate number with the
inscription ABA 457 RA, three Tecno phones and a wallet containing the
sum of N9,080 and two one dollar bills.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adeleye Oyabade, confirmed the incident while briefing journalists in Umuahia.
Oyebade added that when the wounded
hoodlums were taken to an undisclosed hospital for treatment, two of
them were certified dead, while one received treatment. He pointed out
that efforts were on to arrest members of the gang.
He said, “The police are appealing to
members of the public with useful information that could lead to the
arrest of the fleeing members of the gang to report to nearest police
station.”
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