A fleeing armed robbery suspect has been confirmed dead after he was maimed while attempting to escape police arrest.
The incident occurred on Friday, May 31, at volatile Ekpan in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State.
The image-maker of the state’s Police Command, Bright Edafe, said the suspect was with his gang in a tricycle attempting to rob a car, unknown to them that the occupants were undercover policemen.
“On May 31, 2024, at about 2140 hours, operatives of the Ekpan Divisional undercover surveillance patrol team, while on routine patrol along Army Barracks Link Road, off Refinery Road, Ekpan, were double-crossed by a tricycle with three occupants in their usual style of robbing innocent citizens, but on noticing they were policemen, the hoodlums took to their heels and were given a hot chase during which one of the suspects was arrested with a black bag, one cut-to-size double barrel gun, and two live cartridges in the bag.
“Upon interrogation, the suspect stated that the two other suspects who escaped were his gang members, and they usually double-crossed their victims, robbed them, and sometimes kidnapped them.
“Following his confession, the suspect was taken to their hideout along NNPC Link Road. He jumped into the bridge in an attempt to escape and was maimed by the police operatives. The suspect was taken to Ekpan General Hospital for medication, but was confirmed dead by the doctor on duty,” he noted.
According to him, efforts are on to arrest other fleeing members of the gang.
In another development, Edafe, a superintendent of police, said a robbery suspect terrorising the Okpanam area of Asaba, the state capital, has been apprehended.
“On 2/6/24 at about 2315 hours, the DPO Okpanam Division received a distress call that some young men, numbering seven, came with two motorcycles and robbed one young man (name withheld).
“The DPO led operatives to the scene where the suspects, on sighting the DPO and his men, took to their heels.
“Six of the suspects escaped while one of them, identified as Emeka Okafor (m), was arrested, and the motorcycle was recovered.
“The hunt for the fleeing suspects is ongoing,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, men and officers of the command have been admonished by CP Olufemi Abaniwonda to emulate the swift response of DPO Okpanam during emergencies.
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