The Delta State Police Command has arrested five suspects in separate operations and recovered firearms, vehicles, motorcycles and a large quantity of property suspected to have been stolen.
Police spokesperson Bright Edafe said the operations took place in Orerokpe, Ekpan and Agbor.
One operation began when officers working with a local anti-cult group intercepted two Toyota Sienna vehicles carrying musical equipment along the Warri-Sapele Road.
Police said the occupants attempted to flee, but one suspect was arrested.
A search reportedly produced three locally made single-barrelled guns and a live cartridge.
Further investigation took officers to a scrap yard in Warri which police suspect may have served as an operational base. Items recovered there reportedly included 22 air conditioners, 13 washing machines, 29 motorcycle and tricycle engines, televisions, musical equipment, a laptop and other property.
Police said preliminary investigations were examining possible links between the suspects and reported armed robberies around Warri and Kwale.
Separate operations led to additional arrests and the recovery of another locally made firearm and a Hijet minibus whose ownership police later traced.
The allegations have not yet been proved before a court, and each suspect remains entitled to the presumption of innocence.
The scale and variety of the recovered property, however, make the investigation worth following because it may establish whether the police have uncovered isolated offences or a broader organised property-crime network.
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Source: Punch Newspapers
