Robbers Who Can Change Engine Chassis Numbers Arrested

Five armed robbery suspects, who specialise in snatching cars and changing their engine chassis numbers with special markers, have been arrested by operatives of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS),Lagos State Police Command.

The suspects are: Mahmud Abdulkareem Tanko, 48; Musa Yusuf, 27; Abayomi Adebayo, 53, Israel Nana, 30, and Moses Andrel, 25.

The stolen cars recovered and tagged exhibits are: Toyota Camry, MU 861 CA, Mistibushi Outlander, KTU 615 AV, Toyota Camry, BQ 652 AKD, Toyota Camry, MUS 353 CV, Toyota Camry, BDG 370 CQ and Toyota Camry, AAA 487 CA.

Others are Nissan Pathfinder, SUV AGB 839 RK, Nissan Murano, SUV KRK 449 CL, Honda Accord (EOD) KMM 115 AA, Honda Accord, LSD 394 BG, Toyota Corolla, KUJ 132 HT, Mitsibushi Outlander SUV, KJA 745 BH, Toyota Camry, UW 879 KJA, Toyota Avensis, ABJ 89 BK and Toyota Sienna Space Bus, FJ 611 LSR.

The Commissioner of Police, Kayode Aderanti, said the essence of showing the vehicle registration numbers was to help the owners to be aware of their recovered vehicles.

The markers, which were used to change the engine/chassis numbers of stolen cars, were also recovered.

While parading the suspects yesterday in Lagos, he said he mandated the officer-in-charge of SARS, Abba Kyari, a Superintendent of Police, to fish out the hoodlums and bring them to book, following some cases of armed robbery involving car-snatching in the Command in recent times.

Through the deployment of cutting-edge technology, intensive surveillance and aggressive patrol, the above suspects were arrested.

The 15 previously stolen vehicles by the syndicate were also recovered within the Command and in different locations, including Abuja, Port Harcourt and Benin City.

He further stated that Adebayo, who is notorious for changing of engines and chassis numbers of stolen vehicles, was equally arrested.

According to him, the suspects, who confessed to the crime, were helping the Police in their investigation.

He also assured all Lagosians of his resolve to reduce crimes to the barest minimum, while enjoining the public to always avail the Police of actionable intelligence that could help to combat crimes.

Explaining his role in the crime, the third suspect, Adebayo, said: “I am from Epe in Lagos State. I am a panel beater and I live in Idimu. I am married to two wives and I have eight children. I really committed the offence in ignorance. It was one of my customers, Alhaji Balogun, a car dealer who used to give me the job of changing car engines and chassis numbers. He pays me N25,000 for every job that I do for him.

I used these markers to erase original engine/chassis numbers and replaced them with new numbers, using the same markers. I have been in this job for four years now. I became a landlord from the money I made from it. The house is in Ayobo, a Lagos suburb. I have lost count of the number of vehicles I have changed their engines and chassis numbers.

Another suspect, Moses, said: “I am from Liberia. I came to Nigeria in 2013 as a refugee. I also snatched a Honda Accord car belonging to my boss. I have only snatched four cars since I started working as a driver. I collected cars from Victoria Island, Lekki, Magodo and Ikoyi, among other places.

“I was arrested in a bank in Uyo. I had tried to use an ATM card, but the money was not dispensed; so, I went into the bank to meet with a customer care officer. In the process, they alerted SARS operatives who laid ambush and arrested me, as I wanted to leave the bank.

“I did not put any price on the cars I gave to buyers. But my concern was just to bring the cars, with the assurance that they would give me reasonable money.”

One of the victims , Engineer Dipo Ashafa, whom Aderanti handed over the key of his recovered vehicle, commended the Police for the good work and urged them to continue to do more, adding that it would go a long way in building the confidence of the members of the public in the Nigeria Police.