The Delta State Police Command has recorded another breakthrough in its sustained efforts to curb robbery and other property-related crimes with the arrest of four suspected members of a phone stealing syndicate and the recovery of nine brand new Android phones.
Following a series of reported stealing of mobile phones from shops in Asaba and its environs, operatives of the command, acting on credible intelligence and technical intelligence analysis, on 25 July 2026, arrested four suspects at their hideout along St. Brigid’s Road, Asaba. The suspects are Johna Omarocha (m), Kelvin Onogho (m), Nkechi Nnaji (f), and Ufuoma Joshua (m).
A search of the hideout led to the recovery of nine brand new Android phones still in their cartons. Preliminary investigation indicates that the suspects are members of a syndicate specializing in stealing brand new phones from retail shops within Asaba and its environs. The suspects have reportedly confessed to the crime, while efforts are ongoing to arrest other fleeing members of the syndicate and identify the owners of the recovered phones. Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects in the guise of buying items from shops and supermarkets, use newspapers to cover phones in the shop and cart away with the phones when leaving the shops. The syndicate engages the female suspect among them who then waybills the phones to Lagos where the IMEI numbers of the phones are altered and then sell the phones. The four suspects are in custody and will be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded.
The Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, CP Yemi Oyeniyi, psc, acipm, mnips, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to tackling all forms of crime. He urged members of the public, particularly shop owners and business operators, to remain security conscious and promptly report suspicious persons or activities to the Police.
