I make more money as pickpocket than auto-engineer, says suspect

A teenager, Seun Jimoh, arrested by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of Lagos State Police Command has disclosed that he abandoned auto engineering to become a pickpocket because it was more lucrative.

Jimoh, 18, who was caught in the early hours of Tuesday, in Oshodi was dressed in brown jacket and trousers, like a business executive, before his arrest and had allegedly stolen four mobile phones from unsuspecting commuters and was about to remove N18,000 from the pocket of a commuter during a bus stampede when he was caught.

According to a police source, “unknown to him, two of his victims were on the lookout for him after suspecting him for being in custody of their missing phones. While standing at Oshodi under bridge, they spotted him removing money from the pocket of a passenger, Gbenga Odeniyi.

“At that point, his earlier victims, Onuh Austine and Onesimus Paul raised the alarm, which made Jimoh to promptly drop the money and take to his heels.But RRS operatives close to the scene chased and arrested him.”The operatives, after listening to all the accusations, requested for the victims’ phone numbers, which were dialed and the phones rang in Jimoh’s handbag.

While at the RRS’s headquarters, the suspect confessed to having stolen the two phones during a bus stampede.In his statement, he said: “On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, I am always in Oshodi for pick pocketing operation. I steal an average of eight phones on Mondays and maybe 10 phones on Fridays. I don’t really get more than five phones on Wednesdays.

“I am an orphan. My uncle brought me to Lagos. He put me in an automobile workshop but I ran away from there to Mushin where I took to pick pocketing. I have sold all the phones that I stole to some Hausas in Alaba Rago. They buy fairly used phones and materials from people. Since 2013 when I started this business, I have never been caught or imprisoned.

“The idea came naturally to me. I get to Oshodi by 6:30a.m. and leave after operating around 9a.m. I sell Nokia Microsoft for N7,000; Infinix Hot at N8,000; Tecno Y series for between N7,000 to N9,000 and small Samsung phones for N4,000.”

Confirming the arrest, the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Superintendent of Police Dolapo Badmus added that the suspect has given information that would help track down his colleagues in the same trade as well as buyers of stolen phones.