Operatives of the Delta State Police Command have arrested three suspected ‘one chance’ thieves for robbing and raping ladies after picking them from clubs and on the streets with their vehicle, pretending to be transporters.

In a video on his X, on Tuesday, the command’s Public Relations Officer, Bright Edafe, said the “once chance” suspects pretend to take the women in a vehicle to a destination, but suddenly divert into a bush, where they dispossess them of their belongings.

“These three suspects operate in two folds. They go to clubs, carry runs girls, dance and drink with them, negotiate prices and take them out pretending that they are going to the hotel, they later divert these young girls to the bush, Rob them, transfer all their money from their bank account and rape them. As usual, they regret their actions and pray for a second chance,” Mr Edafe noted in the video showing the parade of the suspects.

The police spokesperson explained that the suspects who target only women, convey their victims into their vehicle, before another of their gang members waiting far ahead enters the vehicle, with the lady in their middle.

He said the suspects, after driving into a lonely road, at times, into the bush in Ughelli, collect their victims’ phones, enter their mobile app, transfer all the money the monies, and at times, even rape the ladies.

One of the suspects, Vincent Omonigho from Enerhen, in the video said, “I went to carry a girl at the club. Normally, we go to the club, we discuss with the girl, we have a good time with them, and tell them to come to the hotel that we lodged and they join us in the car. On our way from the club, along the road, we collect their phones, rob them of their things, tell them to come down, drive off and leave them.”

“We carry the girls like runs girls that we want to sleep with. We discuss with them and agree to pay them between N20,000 and N30,000 but when we get to Ughelli Road, we collect their phones, open their apps. We were arrested in a club in Abraka, we use my Camry. I bought it for N1.4 million last year.  I’m an electrician.”

Speaking on another pattern they use, he said although they don’t usually take many passengers from the road because they believe more in the operation they engage in from the club. The suspect however admitted that, “we’ve picked passengers to rob on twice. We carry them to the bush in Ughelli Road.”

On the allegation that they rape their victims, he said they don’t sleep with their victims but their former gang member, now on the run, is the one who rapes victims.

“We don’t sleep with girls. It’s only one guy who used to follow us before, Peter is the one who sleeps with girls but he’s nowhere to be found, he’s on the run.”

One other suspect, a hair vendor, also linked to the crime, confessed that she collected a wig the suspects stole from the victims, and helped them sell it, adding that only one of suspects (in the middle), gave her wig to sell just once.

Admitting that the girlfriend of another suspect among them also gives her wigs to help her sell, she explained that the lady friend told her she collects wigs as collateral for loans given to people by her friend.

“I buy from her because I felt it’s a personal thing that she sells. She has given me only four (wigs).” Some people used the wig to take a loan from her friend and if they can’t pay back, they’ll then sell it to recover their monies,” they hair vendor said.