Eight suspects have been arrested by the Zamfara State Police Command over banditry-related offences, criminal conspiracy, robbery and fraud.The police spokesman, S P Mohammed Shehu while communicating to newsmen at the State Police headquarters in Gusau said 15 locally fabricated firearms were also recovered from the suspects.
”One hundred and forty-six rounds of AK47 ammunitions, dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp and the sum of one million Naira were also recovered.
Shehu said the onslaught against bandits has resulted in the arrest of over two hundred and fifty suspects and recovery of arms and ammunition, such as AK 47, AK 49, Rocket launchers, RPGs, GPMGs, Lar and other high calibre of sophisticated rifles.
He added that the onslaught has drastically reduced the rate of crimes in the state against the high rate of crimes that were hitherto worrisome.
According to him, Police recovered ten abandoned fabricated AK47 rifles and three fabricated Revolver pistols along Munhaye forest in Tsafe Local Government Area of the State.
“Police Tactical operatives on confidence building patrol along Tsafe – Munhaye forest, acted on intelligence report and conducted a rigorous patrol/stop and search towards arresting some gun runners who were on their way to Munhaye forest to supply arms to the bandits”
“The gun runners on noticing Police presence abandoned the sack containing the arms and ammunitions and fled into the thick forest”
“The Police operatives while on a spot search, recovered the said exhibits. Drag net has been sprayed to arrest the fleeing bandits”
The State PPRO further stated that the command also arrested three fraudsters who specialized in defrauding bank customers at various ATM points in Kano, Kaduna, Katsina and Zamfara States.
He gave the names of the suspects as Mohammed Ibrahim 34 years old from Shanono Local Government Area in Kano State, Ibrahim Salisu, 18 years, from Kunbotsu Local Government Area of Kano State and Abdulazeez Mohammed 18 also from Kunbotsu Local Government Area of Kano State.
The State police spokesman explained that the sum of one million naira (N1m) and one Honda Accord Anacanda were also recovered from the fraudsters.
Shehu said that on the 24th of January 2023, Police detectives acted on a complaint by one Abubakar Lawali from Talata Mafara Local Government Area of the State over fraud of one million Naira.
“The complainant said that he was not able to access his money at the Zenith bank at Talata-Mafara where the fraudsters pretended to be bank customers and said they would help him to collect his money for him”
“According to the complainant, the suspects tricked him that they would help him to make a withdrawal as he could not make the transactions due to a network problem”
“They collected his ATM card and deceitfully withdrew the one million Naira from a POS operator”
“In the course of interrogation, all the suspects confessed to the crime and further stated how they carried out similar fraud at different banks in Kano, Kaduna, Katsina and Zamfara States respectively”
“The sum of one million Naira cash belonging to the complainant and a suspected Honda Accord Anaconda vehicle were recovered from them as exhibits”
Shehu stated a discreet investigation is in progress to arrest other members of their gang and charge them to a court of competent jurisdiction for prosecution.
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