How we upgraded from phones thieves to full-time robbers — Suspects

Two suspected car snatchers, arrested by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, attached to the Lagos State Police Command, have revealed how they graduated from snatching phones to car robbery. The suspects Opeyemi Aregbeshola, 25; Bola Salami, 29; and Ogunleye Lateef, 35, were arrested after the operatives tracked a stolen vehicle to the abode of the receiver at Abule-Egba area of Lagos.

According to the police, the suspects attacked the victim (name withheld) and snatched his vehicle, unknown to them the vehicle had a tracking device. When the victim alerted the Police, the vehicle was traced to the home of the receiver Ogunleye Lateef, where he was arrested. Subsequently, he assisted the operatives in arresting two other members of the gang namely; Opeyemi Aregbeshola and Bola Salami.
One of the suspects, Opeyemi Aregbeshola , said they had planned stealing the victim’s phones, but ended up stealing the car when out of fear the victim ran away leaving his car key.
“My friend, Bola, hit him on his chest and the victim, out of fear, ran away.   He left the key there, so I drove the vehicle to the person whom I sold it to.   This is the first time I have been involved in robbery.”
Aregbesola, who said he had not made good money from stealing phones, disclosed that he sold the stolen car for N400, 000. Though, he had not received the money before he was arrested by the police.
“He hasn’t paid cash. He said he was going to pay the next day. I was arrested when he called me the following day to collect my money.”
The second suspect, Bola Salami, also said that they have been stealing phones, adding that the car was the first they were stealing. “We don’t use gun to rob. I specialise in stealing phones, this was the first time I am stealing vehicle.
I was a driver before I went into robbery. I have been a driver for about 14 years.  Sincerely, I have made money as a driver. It is the devil that led me into robbery. This is the first time, I am married with children.”
But, the suspected receiver, Ogunleye Lateef, who had been repairing stolen phones for one of the suspects, Aregbesola , disclosed that he never knew the stolen car had a tracker before agreeing to pay N400,000 for it.