Female Suspect Among Nine Phone Stealing Syndicate Nabbed in Asaba

A female suspect was among nine other members of a phone stealing syndicate arrested by operatives of the Delta State Police Command in Asaba, the state capital.

The suspects were apprehended following a series of reported stealing of mobile phones from shops in Asaba and its environs.

The police descended on the suspects on 25 July 2026, arresting four at their hideout along St. Brigid’s Road, Asaba acting on credible intelligence and technical intelligence analysis.

State Police Public Relations Officer SP Bright Edafe who confirmed the arrest in a statement on Monday, named the suspects to include Johna Omarocha, Kelvin Onogho, Nkechi Nnaji, and Ufuoma Joshua.

He said that a search of the hideout led to the recovery of nine brand new Android phones still in their cartons.

Preliminary investigation, according to the police image-maker 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, he said 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.

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Speaking on the operational tactic of the suspects, Edafe revealed that from preliminary investigation the police find out 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.

According to him, 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”, he added.

The Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, CP Yemi Oyeniyi, in his remarks, 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.

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