The Bauchi State Police Command has apprehended a 30-year-old man who specialises in stealing motorcycles.
The suspects, Bello Mohammed alias Faruk Manja, a resident of Bauchi’s Bakaro Area, and Kabiru Danfulani, who is still at large, had been carrying out their heinous actions for over four years.
According to Ahmed Wakil, the Police Public Relations Officer for Bauchi State Command, who revealed this in a statement made available to journalists in the state, the suspect admitted during interrogation that he and his companion (Danfulani) stole over 20 motorcycles throughout the period.
Wakil, a Superintendent of Police, said that the two-man gang have been terrorising Yobe and Bauchi states.
He said that the suspects criminally conspired among themselves and broke into a resident of Old Airport Road, GRA, and stole his N640,000 worth of Honda Civic and a skeletal motorcycle.
According to him, luck ran out on them when the victim reported the incident to the Police and they immediately swung into action and arrested them while trying to escape with the stolen vehicle.
“The Command has arrested a two-man squad that specializes in snatching motorcycles and has been carrying out their nefarious activities for about four years within Bauchi and other neighbouring States.
“On August 24, 2023, at about 6.30 am, one Aliyu Muhammad Gidado, male, of old Airport Road GRA, Bauchi, reported at B’ Divisional Police Headquarters, Bauchi metropolis, that on the same date at about 4 am, he discovered that Bello Mohammed alias Faruk Manja, male (30) of Bakaro area of Bauchi and Kabiru Danfulani, a male of Muda Lawal Bauchi, now at large, criminally conspired among themselves and trespassed into his house and stole his motor-vehicle Honda Civic, golden colour with reg no. MSA-350-PD valued at N640,000;00, alongside a skeletal motorcycle green colour, with the value yet to be ascertained.
“On receipt of the report, a team of detectives led by the DPO B’ Division, CSP Holman Simon, swiftly swung into action and circulated the incident to various Police patrol teams/divisions within and outside the State.
“Subsequently, in their process to escape with the stolen vehicle along Maiduguri-Bauchi road, Police operatives drafted to Soro Division led by the DPO, Soro Division, SP Aliyu Goni, intercepted the motor vehicle and arrested one of the culprits.
“During interrogation, the first suspect voluntarily confessed to having been a motorcycle snatcher for about four years and approximately stole 20 Jincheng robber motorcycles and carried such menace in different areas of Bauchi and Yobe States respectively, while the second suspect is now at large,” he said.
He said that the stolen vehicle and the skeletal motorcycle have been recovered from the suspects while an investigation is in progress and efforts are being intensified to arrest the remaining fleeing accomplices, after which the suspects would be charged to court.