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Crime & Punishment of Monday, 8 February 2021

Source: thenationonlineng.net

Villagers set two robbery suspects ablaze in Imo

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Two robbery suspects, who were caught after robbing a woman of her Android phone in Akuma Community in Oru East Local Government Area of Imo State, have been set ablaze by an angry crowd.

The incident occurred Sunday evening at Afor Akuma Market square, where the woman had gone to buy something.

According to eyewitnesses, the suspects and another member of their gang, operated on a motorcycle.

They were said to have stopped in front of the woman and ordered that she handed over her Android phone to them.

But, the woman refused and instead raised an alarm which alerted the villagers despite the fact that one of the robbers pointed a gun to her.

The villagers, most of who were watching football from a nearby viewing center, mobilized against the robbers and attacked them.

The robbers were said to have been emboldened by their ‘odeshi’ charms, which made them withstand gunshots from some vigilante operatives.

While one of them managed to escape, the unlucky two were nabbed, beaten to a pulp and taken to the market square where they were set on fire by the mob.

They were said to have operated from Umutanze Community in Orlu Local Government Area and were notorious for robbing a Bet9ja outlet and other business centers in the community of huge sums of money in recent months.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Orlando Ikeokwu, told our correspondent that he was yet to get information about the incident.

He promised to get to our correspondent when he must have spoken with the divisional police officer in charge of Oru East, but never did as of the time of filing this report.