In its renewed efforts to rid the state of kidnapping activities, operatives of the Rivers State Police Command have killed two suspected kidnappers and rescued nine of their victims.
Nigeriacrime.com learned that police operatives in separate operations in the state also rescued nine persons unhurt from their kidnappers.
Confirming the development, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Nwonyi Polycarp Emeka, stated that police is committed to returning sanity in the state.
Emeka noted that the two kidnappers were killed at Rumukwachu/Ogbogoro Community in Obio/Akpor Local Government during a gun duel with police.
The CP said the criminals were trying to escape with their victims when police with credible information arrived at the scene.
He said: “Police Operatives of the Command, on Thursday, rescued one victim name withheld at Rumuokwachi Ogbogoro Port Harcourt who was kidnapped by four armed men inside a Toyota Corolla with reg. No Rivers RGM 411 EG at the same address.
“Upon receiving the information, a patrol team was dispatched to the scene where the kidnappers were given a hot chase with the assistance of OSPAC vigilante, the victim was rescued unhurt.
“One suspect was arrested, two of the kidnappers were neutralized during a gun duel. One Toyota Corolla and a locally made pistol were recovered, efforts in top gear to arrest other fleeing suspects. Investigation ongoing to arrest the fleeing hoodlums and recover their operational weapons.”
In a related development, a middle-aged man narrowly escaped lynching for attempting to run away with the handbag of a female sex worker in Port Harcourt.
The incident happened on Sunday night at Diobu, Port Harcourt City Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The suspect, named withheld, was saved from the mob at Ojoto Street in Mile 3 Diobu, whereas he (suspect) had met with the female sex worker in a brothel on Azikiwe Street, Mile 2, Diobu.
It was gathered that the suspected bag snatcher was hosted by a commercial sex worker at the undisclosed brothel in Azikiwe and that the customer had escaped to Ojoto with the lady’s handbag before he was apprehended by an angry mob.
The sex worker, whose identity was also pleaded not to be mentioned, told the mob who apprehended the young man that the suspect snatched her bag where she put her money and ran out of her room shortly after patronizing him.
She disclosed that she gave the suspect a hot chase to recover her bag from him when the man jumped into a drainage, but that her screaming attracted some mob who came on the young man heavily.
Another source present at the scene, who gave his name simply as Ibe, said the youths with harmful weapons had dragged the young man out from the drainage where he had hidden and pounced on him, if not for the intervention of some landlords in the area who intervened.
However, when asked why he picked the lady’s bag, the suspect claimed that he decided to snatch the bag containing the lady’s money because she (sex-worker) did not allow him to ejaculate after paying her for the sex.
At press time, police could not confirm the development, but it was gathered that operatives of a local vigilante group in the area had taken the suspect away from the scene to their office.