POPULAR LAGOS SOCIALITE ARRESTED FOR ALLEGED THEFT!

The Rivers State Police Command has paraded a 32-year-old woman, Ifeoma William Iheanacho who is a well-known socialite in Ikoyi, Lagos for allegedly stealing in Port Harcourt. Following a tipoff, she was arrested in her Ikoyi residence in Lagos, for allegedly stealing goods worth N2.9 million.

The suspect, an indigene of Mbieri community in Mbaitolu Local Government Area of Imo State , according to the Rivers State Police Command, visited Zara Boutique at 4, Mbonu Street, D/line, Port Harcourt, on March 26, 2014, posing as a wealthy customer and a friend of the owner, one Mrs Oroma Amadi. Prior to the visit, she had reportedly acquainted herself with the owner.

According to police sources, on the fateful day the shop owner was away, “She entered the shop asking to be shown the female trousers area. The unsuspecting salesgirl, Kemeagbeye Rachael, 21, led the suspect to the area where she selected two pairs of trousers and bargained but was dissatisfied with the price and requested to speak to the shop owner.

When the salesgirl put a call through to her ‘madam’, Ifeoma spoke with her and consequently the unsuspecting salesgirl agreed to her demand.

“After conversing with Mrs Amadi on phone, Ifeoma didn’t give phone back to the sales girl. Instead she asked her to go into the inner part of the store to get some other wares for her.

While Rachel was busy sorting out other things as directed , Ifeoma proceeded to edit the ‘madam’s’ contact on the phone which was still with her, by replacing the number with her’s. Then she gave the phone back and minutes later, she sent a text message to the girl posing as her boss.

The message sent read thus ‘ I’m in a meeting , Mrs Jay is already in the shop. ‘Pls give her what she wants, I will pick the money on my way to the shop’.”

It was at this point, the sales girl, in her statement to the police, said Ifeoma started packing the wares selected, which include assorted wares ranging from female bags to clothes, wrist watches, male/female shoes and shirts estimated at N2.9 million and left the boutique.

On discovering it was a theft, the case was immediately reported to the Rivers State Special Anti-Robbery Squad .

Police sources said: “ One Ikechukwu Onyema, a.k.a Van Damme , later discovered to have bought the stolen goods from Ifeoma, was contacted. His confessional statement led us to the suspect’s place in Lagos from where she was transferred to Port Harcourt .

Some of the stolen goods were recovered from her. During interrogation, the mother of one, who claimed she had both her primary and secondary education in Abia State, also claimed to have been a student of theatre arts at University of Ibadan before dropping out after she became pregnant.

“ She confessed to have carried out similar operations in different boutiques in Port Harcourt using her one time fiancé’s Lexus jeep to pose as an affluent customer. After her confession, she soberly said; ‘I want Nigerians to forgive me, I still can’t understand why I chose to steal seeing that I am a comfortable lady.”

Reacting to the arrest, Rivers State Commissioner of Police Tunde Ogunsakin said, “This case involves a really smart criminal, one that you won’t easily suspect and it can happen to any person. So we can all see that one cannot be too careful when dealing with customers and other members of society.”

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About Unknown

Deji Sadiq, a.k.a DEJI OF LAGOS is a LASU trained Economist turned freelance journalist, a Blogger, an information strategist, a public affairs analyst and a committed activist with a passion for equal opportunities.