Posted by By Juliana Francis on
A suspected robber has told the police in Lagos how a victim was monitored for days before his car was snatched. Sunday Kalu, 23, couldn't have succeeded in snatching the victim's car without the assistance of his cousin, Onwuka, who is now on the run.
A suspected robber has told the police in Lagos how a victim was monitored for days before his car was snatched.
Sunday Kalu, 23, couldn't have succeeded in snatching the victim's car without the assistance of his cousin, Onwuka, who is now on the run.
Kalu said he conceived the idea to steal a Benz when his business friend identified as Abdullahi Dan-Kano claimed he could get a buyer for him if he has a Benz for sale. Kalu said he and Abdullahi knew the only way he could get a Benz was to steal it. The car was supposed to be sold for N400, 000. He said: "I used to be a conductor living in a garage. There is a compound opposite the garage. There was the man who has a Benz car. I began to monitor him. I made up my mind to steal his Benz car because I badly needed the money.
"On the day we stole the car, we waited for his arrival from the club that night. He goes to club regularly and comes home at about 12 midnight. He drove into the compound. We had already jumped into the compound. He was about to close the gate when we pounced on him. We stuffed clothes into his mouth to stop him from shouting. We tied his hands and legs with a rope. We had bought that rope for N120, two days before the operation. We planned the attack for four days. We chose him because he was the easiest person we were sure we could lay our hands on because of his late night crawling habit and he's always alone."
Kalu said he was shocked when the police arrested him and told him the man died. He told Daily Sun they never meant to kill the man, but only wanted to collect the car. But the police believe that Kalu and his cousin Onwuka strangled the victim just to snatch his car. Detectives revealed that though no knife mark was found on the neck or body of the victim, there were enough bruises on his face and body to show that the man struggled with his assailants.
Detectives found the victim's hand and legs brutally tied behind his back. The assailants had also cut off the man's shirt and used the cloth to stuff his mouth. Investigators also learnt that the duo laid ambush after jumping into the compound, awaiting the arrival of the prey.
Happy that they had finally collected the bounty, they went to Tin Can Island to search for Abdullahi who allegedly had a buyer ready to purchase the Benz without particulars. From Tin Can Island, they went to Shagamu but they still couldn't get a buyer.
Kalu said that after two weeks at Shagamu, they decided to take the car to the East and sell it there but that plan also failed. When police flagged down the car at Ijebu Ode and demanded for the particulars, they claimed the car belonged to their elder brother and later abandoned it with the police, promising to return with the particulars.
"This was during December period. Early January, I came into Lagos, unaware that police were looking for me. I was at a friend's house when they came to pick me. Detectives claimed that good investigation and fate led to the nabbing of Kalu. They revealed that he indeed got two buyers at Shagamu but the two couldn't afford the price."
A police source said: 'They returned to Lagos and met one of their friends called Ifeanyi, who gave them N30, 000 to procure a registration number and other necessary particulars, so that could take the car to the East. Police intercepted them and demanded for particulars which they could not produce."
After endless waiting, Ifeanyi felt the men had played a fast one on him and taken his N30, 000. Trying to get them, he alerted the police that he suspected some boys have stolen a Benz. It was only a matter of time before detectives cracked down on Kalu, Ifeanyi and Abdullahi.
Only Onwuka escaped, but Daily Sun investigation revealed that detectives were hard on the trail of the suspect.