Men of the Ondo State Police Command have arrested some armed syndicate who specialise in robbing bank customers in Akure metropolis.
Nemesis caught up with one of the hoodlums in Ayedun area of the state capital, after trailing a contractor who had earlier withdrawn the sum of N500,000 from a bank to pay workers on the site.
The hoodlums were said to have waited for the contractor to enter the site before breaking into his car and taking the money after breaking the side door glass, while one of them was apprehended in the process of fleeing from the scene of the robbery.
According to an eye witness, the men had carried out the operation successfully and were trying to manoeuvre their way with their vehicle when they hit a commercial motorcycle rider, forcing them to stop on the road.
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He said, “They followed the contractor from the Zenith Bank to Ayedun area. Where the man parked his car at his site. They broke the windscreen and stole the money from the car.
” As they were about running away with their car, they hit a commercial motorcyclist, so they were forced to stop, one of them alighted from the car to attend to the Okada man while the driver of the car ran away with the vehicle.
“It was when they were arguing with the Okada man that the owner of the N500,000 rushed to the scene and people pointed to the thieves but one of them who was at the wheel drove away from the scene”
The source said the policemen from the state Anti-Robbery Squad were invited to the scene and arrested the suspected robber.
One of the SARS officials disclosed that the suspect arrest led to the arrest of other two suspects who were said to be members of the same robbery gang, saying that some of the victims who suffered the same fate from the hands of the suspects had been visiting the SARS office to identify the suspected robbers.
The police source said, ” The suspects had been confessing to being involved in the robbery of bank customers. One of them said they were the ones that robbed and killed the bursar of the Anglican Church (Mr Gabriel Abiodun) in one of their operations a few months ago.
” The suspects also confessed that they have informants in the banks who inform them whenever a customer withdraws a huge amount of money. ”
The State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Femi Joseph confirmed the development and said the command was on the trail of other fleeing suspects.
He said “about four of them had been arrested and very soon we shall parade them while efforts are ongoing to arrest the remaining members of the robbery gang,”
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