Suspected phone thief posts selfie on victim’s Instagram

The Lagos State Police Command is on the trail of a suspected burglar who allegedly posted his picture on the Instagram account of his victim.

The command is working on the lead that the suspect, whose name had yet to be identified, mistakenly posted the picture with one of the phones reportedly stolen from the victim, Sam Abimbola.

It was learnt that the suspect had sneaked into the victim’s residence on Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos, at about 3am on Tuesday, carting away phones, a laptop and a passport.

The burglar was said to have gained entry into the apartment through the kitchen.

He also reportedly made away with Abimbola’s wife’s jewellery and the identity card of his sister-in-law, who lived with the family.

While lamenting the loss, Abimbola reportedly got a call at about 7am from a friend, who alerted him to a picture posted with one of the stolen phones on his (Abimbola’s) Instagram page.

Abimbola told our correspondent that he had woken up around 5am to prepare for work when he discovered the house had been burgled.

He said, “I slept around 2am on that day and my sister-in-law woke me up around 5am, saying that her bag was scattered in the living room. That was when I discovered that a burglar had entered into my apartment. He cut through the window and got access into the house through the kitchen.

“He entered into my bedroom, stole my passport, laptop, two phones – a Samsung Note 5 and a Samsung tablet – my sister-in-law’s ID card and her money. The burglar also stole my wife’s accessories and took some bottles of water from the fridge.

“I don’t know the extent of what was stolen from my wife’s valuables because she was not around. He ransacked a bag where my credentials were but fortunately, he didn’t go with them.

“Around 7am, he mistakenly posted his picture on my Instagram account with my phone. I am sure he must have used the phone to take the picture.

“I have reported to the police at the Ago Palace division and some of the policemen said he was a known face at a joint in the area.”

The sister-in-law, who did not want her name in print, urged the police to track down the suspect and bring him to book.

“I am certain he was the one who attacked our house. He could not have sold the phone to somebody before 7am when he posted the picture,” she added.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Dolapo Badmos, who confirmed the burglary to our correspondent, said the police were on the trail of the suspect.

Badmos, a Superintendent of Police, added that the Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, had instructed the division to transfer the case to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad at the command headquarters in Ikeja.

She said, “The victim reported the matter at the station and the police will ensure that the suspect is tracked down. The CP has instructed that the case should be transferred to SARS in Ikeja for discreet investigation.”