The Lagos State Police Command has arrested suspected members of a car-snatching syndicate and recovered five vehicles believed to have been stolen during operations linked to robbery and vehicle theft across Lagos State and other states.
The command said the breakthrough followed an intelligence-driven investigation launched after a report of a stolen Toyota Camry 2008 model was received by the police.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by the Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, operatives tracked the stolen vehicle to a re-registration point, which eventually exposed the activities of the syndicate.
The police said investigations revealed that the gang allegedly carried out vehicle theft operations within Lagos State while moving and selling the stolen cars in Ibadan and Ilorin.
“In the course of the investigation, operatives traced and arrested one Segun Olawuwo, ‘M’, 58, in Ibadan, Oyo State, where another suspected stolen Toyota Corolla 2008 model was recovered from him,” the statement said.
The command further disclosed that continued investigation led to the arrest of two additional suspects identified as Femi Afolabi, 53, and Sunday Ugbomudia, 53, in Ilorin, Kwara State.
Police authorities said one Toyota Camry 2008 model and one Toyota Corolla 2006 model, both suspected to have been stolen, were recovered from the suspects during the operation.
The statement added that the arrests also led to the recovery of another stolen Toyota Camry 2012 model, which had earlier been sold to an unsuspecting buyer in Ibadan.
According to the police, the suspects confessed to participating in several car-snatching and robbery operations within and outside Lagos State.
The command said efforts were ongoing to arrest other fleeing members of the syndicate and recover more vehicles allegedly linked to the gang.
The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Tijani Fatai, commended the operatives involved in the operation for their professionalism and dedication to fighting crime across the state.
Police recover five suspected stolen cars, arrest three in Lagos