Edo State Task Force has apprehended two male car theft suspects, who specialises in receiving stolen cars from other states, changing their chassis number and selling them off.
The task force also recovered 3 vehicles from the main suspect, including one Toyota Camry, Toyota Sienna, and a Toyota Corolla.
Mr Rufus Johnbull, the Edo State Task Force Station Officer, while riefing newsmen at the task force office inside Government House, said the cars were stolen from Anambra State and brought to Benin.
Johnbull thanked Edo People who had confidence in their operation and availed them the credible intelligence that led to the recovery.
According to him, we received credible intelligence about this gang and we have been working on it for the past 2 weeks, we finally got a break on July 12, where we arrested the ring leader.
“The ring leader specialises in receiving stolen vehicle from other states and selling them here in Benin.
“We were also able to arrest the panel beater who has been collaborating with him to change chassis number of vehicles, making it impossible for the owners to recover them.
“The suspects will be handed over to the Police for further investigations and prosecution,” he said.
Speaking with Journalists, the ring leader in the crime, one Uyi Osazuwa denied knowledge about the ownership of the vehicles, insisting he bought them from a car dealer from Anambra.
Narrating his involvement, Uyi noted, I was arrested yesterday for receiving a car they said it was a stolen car which I bought from a car dealer in Anambra.
“I was not aware it was a stolen car, because I bought the car for one point five million for the Camry and the Sienna one point six million Naira.
“I was giving the necessary documents and to my understanding, I checked them out as okay, the person who was selling is based in Anambra, is somebody I have known over the years who is into sales of cars.
“I bought the car that cheap because of the fault the car had. I had to do body work, work on the engine and some other things,” he said.
When asked why the chassis number of the car was changed, Uyi acknowledged that the dealer he bought the car from asked him to do so.
“The dealer said he bought the car from a young man who sold it without his father’s consent so he ask me to change the chassis number so that the car can be registered.
“I was arrested last year for buying a stolen car, the car was shaded along Igbesanwan primary school and I bought it and sold it to someone from Lagos.
“Later police came to arrest me, but I was cleared later after investigations,” he added.
On his part, Jude Ugwoke, the second suspect admitted he was a panel beater who was contacted by Uyi to change the windshield of the vehicles.
Ugwoke explained that he was later instructed to alter the chassis number, which he did before he was arrested