Police Arrests Teenager For Selling Bar Soup as Mobile Phone In Ikorodu

The Operatives of Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of Lagos
State Police Command, have apprehended an 18 -year-
old boy, Segun Adeyefa, for allegedly selling bar of soap
as mobile phones to unsuspecting members of public in
traffic.
The suspect was arrested by the RRS men on routine
patrol of Ikorodu Motor Park yesterday at about 19:50
hrs, while trying to defraud a young man at the motor
park.
Upon his arrival at RRS’s Headquarters, the suspect
confessed that before he was caught on Tuesday, he
had duped one person of N3,500 who wanted to buy the
phone.
He noted that he was lured into the fraud after he was
duped through a similar means about a year ago.
"My action was prompted when I was swindled by two
guys about a year ago by this way. I had intention of
buying a phone but unknowingly to me it was a cut-to-
size bar of soap just looked similar to a phone shape...
The two guys approached me on my way to work, then,
I was learning a plumbing work somewhere around
Ikorodu... I bought the phone which was advertised to
me as ‘London used phone’ for N2, 500... As I left the
place, I checked the phone I bought, to my surprise, I
discovered it was a soap I bought for such amount...
That very moment I promised myself to revenge by
doing same to the people," he revealed.
Explaining how he mastered the tactics to swindle
unsuspecting members of public through that means, he
said "after I discovered that it was a cut-to-size soap I
bought as phone, I learnt that tactics by understudying
the material.... The item contained cut-to-size soap,
carton and wrapped all together with a cello tape."
The suspect who lived at 81, Oriwu Road, Ikorodu,
Lagos State, further revealed how he perpetuated the
fraud under the false pretence of selling a genuine
phone.
"What I usually do is called exchange. My prospective
victims will have the mind of buying handset from me
but unknowingly to them I would have changed the real
handset to soap wrapped with cut to size carton put
inside an envelope... I will engage them in discussion
after showing them real phone initially, and in the
process of bargaining for the price, I will change it with
the aid of white handkerchief to fake phone... And, I will
tell them to keep the phone inside their pockets
immediately that people are watching us. As soon as
the buyer left the spot, I will immediately change my
location by moving to another place."
The suspect further stated that the demise of his master
who was teaching him plumbing work, also led to his
criminal act.
While confirming the arrest, the Police Public Relations
Officer (PPRO), Superintendent of Police, SP Dolapo
Badmus, warned the general public to be weary of
individuals who approach them to buy phones on
highways in order not to fall victim of con men.
Items such as fake phones, key soap cut to size, shirts,
some amount of money, packet of envelopes and cut to
size cartons were recovered from him. The suspect has
been transferred to Lagos State Task Force on
Environment for prosecution