Man Uses Boy As ‘Collateral’ To Steal Two Bags Of Rice From Lagos Shop

 

A retailer on Felicia Oke Street in the Olowora area of Lagos State, Olabisi Opeyemi, is smarting from the loss inflicted on her by a suspected thief who disguised as a customer to steal two bags of rice from her shop.

City Round learnt that the suspect, still at large, went to the shop on Thursday afternoon in company with two boys said to be about 15-year-old to buy two 50-kilogramme bags of rice.

It was gathered that he made Opeyemi’s younger sister, Alima, who was in the shop at the time, believe that the boys were his brothers and that their mother also had a shop nearby.

Leaving the boys behind, he reportedly went away with the staple on a commercial motorcycle, promising that he would return soon to pay.

When he didn’t return several minutes later, one of the boys was said to have gone to search for him.  It was learnt that Alima raised the alarm as the other boy, who is a resident of the area, wanted to leave.

She realised she had been defrauded when the teenager told her that he didn’t know the man and that he was only asked to assist him in carrying a load at the shop.

It could not be ascertained whether the boy who went in search for the suspect was also used as ‘collateral’ as he didn’t return to the shop.

The shop had yet to open when our correspondent visited the neighbourhood around 11am on Friday.

Opeyemi, who spoke to City Round on the phone, said she was devastated by the loss of the goodsworth N60,000, adding that the theft had taken a toll on her capital.

She said she did not report the incident to the police because she knew the boy’s poor mother who begged her to let go of the matter.

Punch correspondent overheard residents discussing the incident, with some insinuating that the man probably hypnotised Alima.

-Punch