From Paul Osuyi, Asaba and Joseph Obukata, Warri
Two suspected members of a dreaded armed robbery/kidnapping gang in Udu area of Delta State have met their waterloo during a shoot out with police operatives.
Delta State Public Relations Officer (PPRO) DSP Bright Edafe, in a statement issued on Monday, confirmed the death of the suspects.
Edafe, explained that one of the suspects was arrested at a club, adding that the suspect led operatives the gang’s hideout in Udu, where gun duel ensued.
“During the gun duel, one of the suspects was neutralized by the operatives. The suspect arrested at the club was fatally wounded in the cross fire, while other members of the gang escaped. The injured suspect gave up the ghost before he could get to the hospital.
“One AK-47 rifle and 27 rounds of 7.62 ammunition were recovered. Manhunt for the other fleeing members of the gang is ongoing,” he said.
Edafe also confirmed the recovery of another AK-47 rifle, one double barrel gun,and cartridges, during a raid on a suspected cultusts’ hideout in Oghara, Ethiope West Local Government Area.
He said a 49-year- old man, Titus Sunday, was cooling off in custody of the command for alleged involvement in series of generator theft in Asaba, the state capital.
Edafe said based on intelligence, the suspect was trailed to Port Harcourt, where he was arrested, adding that he has already confessed to being part of the syndicate that specializes in stealing generators within the Asaba metropolis.
According to him, the suspect led operatives to Awka, where one 220KVA generator stolen along Mariam Babangida way, Asaba was recovered.
The suspect on January 29, 2023, also led operatives to their hideout in Asaba, and seven other suspected stolen sound-proof generators were also recovered. Manhunt for the other members is ongoing.
In another development, Edafe ,said that operatives of Raiders Squad deployed from Delta Police Command to Oghara, Ethiope West Local Government Area of the state, recovered one AK-47 rifle, one double barrel gun,and cartridges after a major raid on suspected cultists hideout at the back of Oghara Grammer School.
He said the raid on the black spot on Sunday January 29, 2023 came barely two days after police arrested one suspected robbery/kidnapping gang member, at a night club in Udu, Udu Local Government Area of the state.