Police go tough on bag snatchers in Onitsha, arrest 4 as one escaped

www.odogwublog.com reports that the war against bag snatchers recently launched by the police in the commercial city of Onitsha, Anambra state may have started yielding  positive results with the arrest of at least four snatchers within a space of one week.

The latest of such arrests was recorded at the weekend when a combined team of Onitsha GRA vigilante operatives and the police arrested two of the bag snatchers who were identified by the police as Jideofor Madubueze of Ifeanyi Ubah Street, GRA, Onitsha and Emeka Igwe.

According to a reliable police source, Madubueze and Igwe were arrested along the College road shortly after they allegedly snatched a Techno W6 model GSM handset valued at N45,000 from one ThankGod Obiora of New Nkisi, GRA, Onitsha.

According to the source, the two snatchers were arrested together with their operational Kymco motorcycle with Registration No. JRV 717 QL.

In similarly development, a house breaker who was also identified by the police as Olisa Nwabuisi residing with his pregnant wife in a hotel at the GRA area of Onitsha was arrested by the police at No. 27 Okolo Street, Onitsha while in possession of a generator and other house-hold properties suspected to have been stolen from somebody's house.

According to the source, the suspect who was  said to be armed with a long bar which he used to break into peoples' houses and shops at nights, was intercepted by the police on Saturday night while in possession of those items suspected to have been burgled from the house he allegedly broken into.

The police equally tracked down another bag snatcher identified as Chianumba of Jehova Jireh Street, Akpaka Forest, Onitsha for allegedly snatching a lady's handbag in front of the Stock Exchange Building, GRA, Onitsha.

According to the source, Chianumba was operating on a Lady's motorcycle with Registration no. AV 512 FGG with one other suspect simply identified as Junior  at about 6.45 p.m. hen they allegedly snatched the handbag from the lady but as soon as the victim raised an alarm, the neighbourhood gave them a hot chase and arrested Chianumba, while Junior barely managed to escape by whiskers.

When contacted, the Divisional Police Officer at Central Police Station, CPS, Onitsha, Ikechukwu Egbochukwu, a Superintendent of Police, SP, declined comments on the arrests and referred newsmen to the State Police Public Relations Department, PPRD, for confirmation.

As at the time of filing this report yesterday, the State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Nkiruka Nwode, ASP, told newsmen that although she was not yet aware of the arrests, she would quickly make some contacts from the authorities concerned and get back to newsmen.