The police command in Delta says it apprehended three suspected members of a carjacking syndicate in Edo and Delta and recovered 12 vehicles.

The command spokesman, SP Bright Edafe, disclosed this to journalists on Wednesday in Warri.

Mr Edafe said one of the suspects was nabbed on April 11 in Okpe LGA, while others were arrested on Friday in Benin, following a confession by the former.

He disclosed that one of the suspects allegedly stole a Toyota Corolla car using a master key from its parking spot at DSC township in Oruwhorun, Udu LGA.

Mr Edafe said the car was later sighted on the Eku/Warri road by Oha junction in Okpe LGA.

“On April 11, following information from one man (name withheld) that his Toyota car was stolen from where it was parked in Oruwhorun and was sighted on Eku/Warri road by Oha junction in Okpe, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Orerokpe division, CSP Paul Oboware, swiftly mobilised patrol teams alongside members of Oha community vigilantes.

“They chased the suspects to the army checkpoint at Orerokpe junction and double-crossed the vehicle. Consequently, one of the suspects, aged 47, was arrested; the vehicle was recovered with the master key they used,” he said.

Mr Edafe said that a preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect and his gang were notorious for stealing cars from where they were parked. He said that upon further investigation and interrogation, the suspect led the police to the arrest of two other suspects, aged 40 and 39, on Friday in Benin City.

The spokesman said that the two suspects specialised in deleting old chassis and engine numbers and replacing them with new ones before putting the vehicles for sale.

He said the suspects specialised in deactivating vehicles with car trackers, adding that 12 suspected stolen vehicles were recovered from Benin City and Warri during the exercise.

He said that investigation in the matter was ongoing, adding that efforts were in top gear to arrest other fleeing members of the gang. 

(NAN)