The Delta State Police Command has apprehended five suspects involved in the theft of a luxurious bus owned by the logistics company Young Shall Grow Motors.
The suspects who were paraded at Ekpan Police Station in the Ube Local Government Area were alleged to have plotted to steal and dismantle the vehicle for sale.
Speaking during a parade of the suspects in a video posted on X, on Friday, the state Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Superintendent of Police Edafe Bright, explained that the suspects exploited insider knowledge about the vehicle’s security.
He said, “One of them works with Young Shall Grow in the past as a panel beater and according to him, by the time he finished and gained his freedom, Young Shall Grow did not retain him, hence, he left.
“He said he has been monitoring where they park their vehicle in Abia State and he knows of a fact that they don’t usually lock their doors and they always leave the key at the ignition of the vehicle”.
According to Bright, the main suspect reportedly contacted an accomplice, who drove the vehicle from Aba to Warri, and planned to sell it to scrap dealers.
The plan was thwarted due to recent warnings issued by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) to scrap dealers to avoid purchasing vehicles without proper documentation.
“When they (the suspects) got there, the scrap dealers insisted on the receipt and particulars of the vehicle. To cut the long story short, they were caught due to our intelligence gathering and the information we got when they were moving it to a bush in a certain location where they would have been able to butcher this vehicle without anybody knowing. They were intercepted and we arrested five of them”, the PPRO added.
During interrogation, one of the suspects, Michael Odubo, disclosed that the gang had planned to sell the vehicle for N5 million.
The PPRO added that the suspects will face charges as the investigation continues.
