No fewer than thirteen persons abducted at Gatakawa village in Ƙanƙara Local Government Area of Katsina State have been rescued by police on Monday.
Their rescue trailed a report that bandits in their numbers, on motorbikes, armed with AK 47 rifles, shooting sporadically, attacked the village, broke shops and carted away food items, and kidnapped thirteen persons.
Subsequently, the Divisional Police Officer of Kankara Division led a team of ‘Operation Puff Adder’ to the village at about midday and engaged the bandits into a gun duel thereby dislodging the hoodlums.
In a press briefing held at the command headquarters, Katsina, the Police Spokesman, SP Gambo Isah told reporters that besides rescuing the kidnapped victims, the police team has also succeeded in recovering all the stolen items by the bandits.
He said search parties are still combing the area with a view to arrest the wounded bandits and recover their dead bodies as investigation according to him is ongoing.
In the meantime, the Command has arrested a notorious fraudster, a thief who specializes in defrauding and stealing from unsuspecting members of the public by posing as a Nigerian Air Force Officer.
The suspect simply identified as Khamis Abdullahi, ‘M’, of W02 Quarters at the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna was arrested based on credible intelligence since on November 12th, 2020 at about noon.
Abdullahi was reportedly using fake bank transfer alerts and similar other tricks.
According to the police Spokesman, Gambo Isah, “nemesis caught up with the hoodlum when on 24/11/2020 at about 10:11hrs, he dressed in Nigerian Air force Uniform, bearing the name K. Abdullahi with Captain rank, approached one Muhammadu Isah Girka, a car dealer in Alfrah Motors LTD, IBB Way, Katsina and introduced himself as Air Force Captain who returned from the United Kingdom and posted Katsina on special duty as a Pilot.
“He demanded to buy a motor vehicle, Toyota Corolla S, 2016 Model, blue in colour, valued five million four hundred thousand naira (N5,400,000:00K) from the car stand. He promised to come later and pay for the vehicle. Subsequently, on 02/12/2020 at about 10:45hrs, he called the said car dealer, Muhammadu, and asked him to meet him at First Bank, Yahaya Madawaki way, Katsina, and collect his money for the vehicle.
“In the process, he deceitfully filled a bank transfer teller for the sum of (N5,400,000:00K), stamped with his fabricated fake stamp and asked the victim to sign. He later created a fake bank alert of the said amount and showed it to the victim who believes it to be true and genuine. They later proceeded to Alfra motors where the fake military captain deceitfully took the vehicle and left to an unknown destination. Hence he reported the matter to the police. In the course of the investigation, the suspect was accosted with the stolen vehicle at Hunkuyi Junction on the highway along Danja to Zaria.
“Suspect also confessed to have used the same modus operandi on that fateful date and deceitfully collected one I-Phone X valued one hundred and eighty-five thousand naira (N185,000:00K), from one Abdulwahab, of Unguwar Alkali Quarters, Katsina which was also recovered in his possession,” Isah noted.
During the police search, the following items were recovered in the possession of the suspect:
One T-Shirt with Captain rank and UN Badge, one Toyota Corolla, 2016 Model,
Three I-Phone GSM handsets and one Infinix phone.
Other items recovered in his possession include one fabricated fake First Bank rubber stamp, two fake stamped First Bank Tellers, Motor vehicle documents
Stamp pad.
The investigation also revealed that the suspect is a habitual offender and an ex-convict who has been convicted severally for similar offences in Kaduna state.