I make N10,000 daily from picking pockets - Suspect

A 22-year-old man, Terry Umuokoro,
who makes a living as a pickpocket, has
been arrested by the Apapa Police
Division.
Also in custody are five others,
suspected to have taken part in a
robbery operation at Senator Muse
Road, Apapa in June 2013.
Umuokoro was arrested last week at a
hotel along Ojo Road, Ajegunle, Lagos.
He had allegedly resided at the hotel
for two months.
But the suspect denied being part of
any robbery operation. Umukoro
explained that he was a pickpocket.
He said, "I pick pockets for a living, I
am not a robber. I started in January
2013 because I had no job after
completing my secondary school
education."
Explaining how he operates, the
suspects said he usually armed himself
with a school bag to create the
appearance of a university
undergraduate.
He said he would then board as many
commercial buses as possible, where
he would pick the pockets of
unsuspecting passengers. His loot
included money and phones.
He said, "I only steal Nokia phones
because you can sell them easily. I
steal about three phones daily and
have a buyer at Boundary bus stop in
Ajegunle. I give him the phones and
get paid in return. I make about
N10,000 daily."
Due to the success of his trade,
Umuokoro allegedly moved out of his
family home to the hotel at Ojo road
where a room goes at a rate of N5, 000
daily.
The other suspects, Desmond Ozore,
Solomon Mibien, Nelson Mbabie, Jamiu
Adigun and Akeem Apejoye, were
initially arrested at the same hotel by
the Victoria Garden City Police Post
after a Blackberry Bold 5 which was
stolen from a resident at Senator Muse
road, was found with Ozore's girlfriend.
On June 4 2013, two buildings were
robbed on Senator Muse Road and
valuables such as BlackBerrys, laptops
and money were allegedly taken by the
armed robbers.
One of the stolen phones was traced
to Ozore's girlfriend who claimed that
he had given her the phone.
Ozore said, "I am not a robber, none of
my friends are. We are all into internet
fraud. We stayed in the hotel because
we need uninterrupted electricity.
"I bought the phone for N26,000 from
Mibien. I never knew it was stolen."
Mibien denied being part of the
robbery gang and claimed he also
bought the phone from another friend
who is currently at large.
There was no response from the Lagos
State Police Public Relations Officer,
DSP Ngozi Braide. She did not respond
to calls or text messages to her phone.
Source: punch ng