The Ekiti State Police Command has arrested Babatunde Olaoluwa, a notorious man popular for stealing phones from worship centers.
Ekiti News reports that the arrest came after an incident at Christ Apostolic Church, Ayegbaju-Ekiti.
In a statement signed by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Sunday Abutu, Olaoluwa was apprehended after stealing seven mobile phones from unsuspecting worshippers during a service.
“Yesterday, at about 16:30hrs, one Babatunde Olaoluwa, a one-man gang, who specializes in stealing phones from worship centers, was arrested after carting away seven different phones belong to different people from Christ Apostolic Church, Ayegbaju-Ekiti,” the statement partly reads.
According to the statement, the suspect confessed to having been stealing phones from different churches in Oye and Ayegbaju communities and sent them to Lagos for buyers.
Abutu said, ” The suspect, who went to the church pretending to be one of their members, studied the worshippers and in the euphoria of praises, made away with seven phones.
“The suspect, during interrogation, confessed to having been operating around Oye and Ayegbaju-Ekiti with churches as his target. He further confessed to having stolen a lot of phones from the Redeemed Christian Church of God and New Reality Christian Center, all in Oye-Ekiti.
“Investigation revealed that the suspect, after meeting his target, normally sends the stolen phones through the motor park to Lagos where his friend will assist him to sell them and send the proceeds back to him through online transfer.”
He noted that, “The seven phones he stole during his last operation at Christ Apostolic Church, Ayegbaju-Ekiti, have been recovered from him and some of victims of his atrocities showed up in the station and have identified the suspect and their stolen phones.
“The suspect will be arraigned accordingly immediately after the conclusion of investigation.”