Edo: Angry residents nearly lynches suspected thief

Angry residents at Luck Way in Ikpoba Hill area of Benin City have reportedly beaten a suspected armed robber to a pulp after he was allegedly caught stealing N400,000 and a mobile phone from a Point of Sales (POS) operator.

The Newsmen  learnt that the unidentified robber stole the items from a woman who offered POS service in her shop.

The suspect reportedly entered the woman’s provision shop, pretending to buy snacks and drinks and in the process stole the items.

Speaking to newsmen, the POS operator said, the suspect came to her shop and demanded for biscuits, drinks and other items.

She said the suspect told her that he was in the neighbourhood for a burial ceremony and that he wanted to use the items to entertain his friends before the event commenced.

“I provided the items for him and I was about to pack them inside a polythene bag when he demanded bottles of water.

“As I went back inside to get the water, he stepped inside the shop and picked up the bag containing my money.

“When I brought the water out, he asked me to calculate the items and said that he wanted to get a bottle of groundnuts from the nearby shop.

“When he said he was going, it was then I checked for the bag and behold it was not there.

“It was at that point that I raised the alarm, which attracted youths in the area who chased and caught him,” she narrated.

She said her bag containing the money and phone was recovered from the suspect who was almost beaten to death by a mob before police officers arrived to arrest him.