By OKOSUN DENNIS
Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of Lagos State Police Command has arrested a notorious car thief who specialises in removing cars from the park at an unnamed popular night club at Ikeja Lagos.
The suspect, Benjamin Michael, 27, was caught red-handed inside a red Mercedes Benz A-Class with the registration number UB 202 AAA attempted to drive it away from the park before he was arrested by vigilant people.
The suspect, who hails from Ughelli in Delta State, was arrested after the Policemen prevented the angry mob from carrying out jungle justice on him when they sighted him entering the car.
It was learnt that the suspect who was beaten to stupor and in the process sustained various degrees of injuries on his head before RRS operatives rescued him and taken to the hospital for treatment.
The Delta state born Michael, who has confessed to the crime, explained that his intention was to steal the vehicle and take it out of Lagos to a neighbouring country to sell.
“I usually take some wraps of Indian-hemp before I went to the club that night. At the club, I usually look for a car whose door was not locked. Then, I started opening all the vehicles parked at the club’s parking space one after the other until I discovered that the car in question was not locked.
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“I got unhindered access into the car quietly with the aim of removing it from where it was parked and take it out for sale. I did not know that some people were watching me entering the vehicle.
He further explained that, “As I entered the car, I saw a group of men coming towards me. I still pretended as if the car was mine. They asked if the car was mine, confidently, and unknown to me that the owner of the car was with them, I told them that the car belongs to me.
“Immediately, they dragged me out of the car and started beating me. I was only rescued by men of RRS or else, they would have killed me that night.
It was gathered that the Policemen who were on routine patrol along the axis, rescued the suspect when he was about to be set ablaze by the enraged youth.
The arrest that was confirmed by the spokesperson of Lagos State Police Command, Superintendent of Police, Dolapo Badmus, said that efforts were in progress to arrest other members of his gang stressing that the suspect would be charged to court upon completion of our investigations.
Dolapo, therefore, advice every vehicle owner is to ensure that they lock their vehicles where they are parked to prevent car thieves from taking undue advantage of such negligence,” she added.