Detectives attached to the Lagos
State Police Command, have smashed a gang that specialized in posing as
patients, to get access into hospitals and rob genuine patients and staff.
The suspects, Babatunde Bamidele 25
and Muritala Balogun 27 were arrested at Ajangbadi area of the state on
Wednesday, moments after they finished robbing a hospital.
Revealing their modus operandi, Bamidele
said: “Before we went out on operation, we would plaster the body of one of our
members. When we get to the gate of the prospective hospital, the supposed ‘sick
person’ would start crying loudly. Others would start calling for emergency. Immediately
we are allowed into the hospital, we would whip out our guns and rob the
patients. We would rob them of money and other valuables. We don’t kill people!
We only collect money and phones.”
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police,
Mr. Fatai Owoseni, said the suspects used to pretend they were patients in
order to get entry into the hospital and robbed genuine patients of their
valuables.
Owoseni further explained: “The gang
would pretend as if one of them was injured. The supposed ‘injured patient’
would go to the hospital with others, with plaster pasted to his stomach. He would
be rushed into the hospital, screaming for help. Immediately they were allowed
into the hospital, they would bring out guns and rob every patient of their
phones, money and other valuables.”
Bamidele confessed that he was
introduced into the robbery gang by one Ahmed, now at large.
The suspect, said: “I used to pick
pocket until I met Ahmed. He advised me to abandon the pick pocket job. He said
it wasn’t profitable. Before I started going out with them, they trained me for
a week.”
Recalling the gang met its waterloo,
Bamidele said that on their last fateful operations, they had just finished
robbing patients and were racing to leave the scene when they ran smack into a
police patrol van.
He recalled: “The policemen were on
patrol when they heard shouts of thief coming from the direction of the
hospital. They ran after us. Ahmed and others escaped. I and Murtala were
arrested.”
He further recounted: “Since I
joined the gang, we’ve robbed about five different hospitals at Ajangbadi,
Shibiri and other part of the community. I regret my actions. My parents must
not hear I was arrested for armed robbery.”
Narrating his own side of the story,
Balogun said he was tricked into going with the gang to rob patients.
His words: “I was also into pick
pocket until I met Ahmed. I was at home when Ahmed called me. He said I should
follow them to visit a friend at the hospital. I obliged. We both went to the
hospital. When we got to the hospital, I was surprised to hear Bamidele screaming
like he was in pains. Ahmed and others called for emergency. I didn’t follow
them into the hospital. I waited outside. After a while, they came out with
many phones and some other things. Immediately we left the hospital, policemen
who were on patrol accosted us. They arrested me and Bamidele.”
Owoseni said the suspects would soon
be charged to court after completion of the investigation.
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