Police alarm new stealing method

Police authorities in Monrovia are warning the public and private security guards against a new scheme of criminality designed to drug victims by offering food embedded with drugs before stealing victims’ valuables.

“Today, we call the press in to help us spread out this message to all of the private guards and the general public that they should be mindful not to eat food from anybody who will be nice to them at night because … the food that is given to you is being embedded with drugs,” Police Inspector General Col. Patrick Sudue told journalists on Friday, 9 March.

Mr. Sudue sounded the warning at the police headquarters while returning two vehicles that were stolen under this new criminal method to their owners Mr. Mohammed A. Keita and Mr. Aleo Kamara.

This new method of stealing by drugging securities was first reported during the administration of immediate past Police Inspector General Col. Gregory Coleman.

Col. Sudue says criminals have developed a new scheme in which they will go to the private security at night or somebody who is guarding your residence, pretend to be stranded and make a kind of passionate appeal with the guard in the form of seeking some help.

Mr. Sudue says upon persuading the guard, the criminals would later share drugged food with the person on duty, suddenly leading the victim to fall asleep upon consuming the food and giving the criminals a chance to burglarize the place to steal whatever their target is.

He says criminals carried out the stealing method at the Mohammed Keita Used Cars Company in the Gardnerville area where criminals drove their car, claimed to be stranded and requested the security on duty to permit them to sit with them.

Mr. Sudue says the suspects made several calls while sitting at the used cars company, pretending to be waiting for somebody before sharing biscuits and water with the guard that was on duty at the used car company.

“They gave him water, he drank the water, in no time, he passed off and they were able to make away with two vehicles from the used cars fence,” Col. Sudue explains.

Following sometimes of investigation, Mr. Sudue says suspect Elton Cooper, one of those allegedly engaged in drugging and stealing from people, was in possession of one of the stolen vehicles from the Mohammed Keita Used Cars Company.

He says the discovery was made while another burglary incident in which several phones were stolen from a phone store was being probed.

He adds that suspect Copper and his accomplices Emmanuel Johnson, a Liberian, and Emmanuel Egbu, a Nigerian, were charged and sent to the Monrovia Central Prison. According to Col. Sudue, police discovered the second vehicle after it had been abandoned by the suspects.

After receiving the keys to the retrieved vehicles, the used cars company manager Mr. Mohammed A. Keita said he was overwhelmed, acknowledged God’s blessing and expressed profound gratitude to the Liberia National Police (LNP) and its boss, Mr. Sudue.

He praised the police for their resilience, vigilance and hard work, saying retrieving those stolen vehicles from the criminals proved that the police were working in the best interest of the Liberian people. The vehicles retrieved include Nissan Almera (Sedan, grey color) and another Nissan Almera (Sedan, brown color).

By Winston W. Parley