A 25-year-old Meshach Sinuphro, who disguised as intending buyer of Mercedes Benz Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) in Abuja valued at ₦55 million, but absconded with the vehicle, have been arrested in Benin City, Edo State by operatives of the CP-Decoy Squad of Delta State Police Command.
The State Police Commissioner, Wale Abbas, who confirmed the arrest in Asaba, yesterday, said the suspect was trailed to Benin City where he was arrested and brought back to Asaba, for interrogations.
Abbas, who spoke through the Command’s spokesperson, Bright Edafe, said the suspect went to Abuja intending to buy the car, but volunteered to test it when he had not settled the price with the car dealer.
He explained that in the process of testing the car, the suspect absconded with it, and during investigations “we discovered that he was already in Delta State.”
According to the police, the suspect abandoned the vehicle in a bush along Oteri road by Doctors Quarters Ughelli North council, and escaped to Benin City where he was arrested.
Speaking shortly after being paraded by the police, the suspect, who claimed to be a 300-level Business Administration student in Turkey, said he had the intention to buy the car at ₦30 million.
He said: “I saw the car online and chatted with the dealer and we agreed on N58 million. So, when we met, I made an offer of ₦30 million before we went for test-driving.”
Sinuphro added: “It was when we were negotiating that the dealer said I should test run the car, so both of us drove until we needed to buy fuel at a filling station. The man came down from the vehicle and said he wanted to collect money from Point of Sale (PoS). l waited for him for over two hours and when he didn’t show up, l drove off.”
He said his intention of absconding with the car was not to sell it, but to use it as a private car.
The suspect, who said he was hypnotised to take such moves, regretted his action.
