How I drugged victims’ food, steal their cars …started car mart business

Ibrahim

Forty-nine-year old Garuba Ibrahim has revealed how he used to spice car owners’ tea and biscuits with drug, in order to induce them to sleep and steal their cars.

The suspect was arrested by the Inspector-General of Police, (IGP), Mr. Ibrahim Idris’s, Special Intelligence Response Squad (IRT). The police, so far, have recovered eight cars from him.

Police described Ibrahim as a notorious car theft, who specialised in drugging his victims before stealing their vehicles. Police further said that Ibrahim used to operate within Abuja, Benue and Kogi states. Although Ibrahim refused to reveal how long he had been into the crime, police however believed he had been doing it for years.

Revealing his modus operandi, Ibrahim said that he used to drug his victims’ tea and biscuits before stealing their cars. 

The suspect had stolen several cars through the gimmick that he soon started selling cars in his home town, in Otukpo, Benue State.

It was discovered that Ibrahim used to ask the cab driver to take him on a long distance destination. He would chat and become friendly with them. When he eventually buys food and gives to them, they would collect because he has won their trust. They didn’t know that his motive in becoming friendly with them was their cars.

Ibrahim would have continued in his crime, but for the last victim he drugged and robbed at Abuja. After drugging the cab driver, he stole the man’s car and two phones. He would later give the two phones to his in-laws as gifts, claiming he bought them.

IRT operatives tracked the stolen phones to the in-laws in Benue State. The in-laws were later used as bait to catch Ibrahim.

Ibrahim, who said he’s married with four children, narrated: “I deal on fairly used shoes. I used to buy shoes from Jos, Plateau State.  In 2013, I went into car selling business.  I used to go to Benin Republic, through Birini-Kebbi for business.  After my father died, I was asked to return home. My elders told me that my father instructed that I should return home to stay before he died. Before I agreed to stay at home, I had an arrangement with my sister.  I told her that they would have to be paying me N100, 000 monthly, if they wanted me to stay at the village.”

The elder ones agreed to his demand. Ibrahim stayed until 2015 when the monthly payment ceased. He said that he tried his hands on Kolanut farming and made N330,000 after he harvested it.

He said that he gave members of his family N50,000  out the money and made his way back to Brini-Kebbi with the rest.

He claimed to have bought a Volkswagen Sharan from someone in Birini-Kebbi, took it to his state, sold it and made N50, 000 profits. 

Police however believed that he stole the car, just like others found in his possession.

Ibrahim, who used to target cab drivers, with clean looking cars, grudgingly admitted drugging a cab driver at Makurdi, Benue State.

His words: “ I once boarded a cab at Makurdi. I told the driver I was going to Gboko. Along the way, I told him to stop that I wanted to buy food. I bought two take-away plates of semo and spiced one plate of soup with sleeping drug. I gave the drugged soup to the cab driver. I took the second plate. We drove towards secretariat. He started eating; soon, he was feeling sleepy. He parked his car. I took out his floor mat from his car. He slept on it, but before he slept off, I asked him to give me his car key.  I drove the car down to Otupko. I gave the car to a man called  Chiama. The car is a Golf 3 Wagon. I sold it to Chiama for N500,000.”

He said that exactly 14 days after the incident, he traveled to Abuja, where he picked another prey.

He asked the driver to  take him to Sheraton Hotel. When they got there, he paid the driver and asked him to wait for him.

He said: “I entered the hotel and sat beside the swimming pool. After a while, I went out and asked the driver to take me to  another hotel. When we got there, I  paid for a room. We went into the room and decided to get something to eat. I brought out bread and some other items I had in my bag. I brought out a  biscuit that was already laced with drug. I took the first one and gave him the drugged biscuit.  He ate it; after a while, he slept off. I made away with his car key.  I took his car to Kano State, and sold it to one Abdulraman for N600,000. I found two phones in the car. I gave the phones to my mother in-law and her daughter. The police eventually tracked and arrested me through the phones.”