By PETER DURU

MAKURDI… Over 183 robbery suspects were reportedly arrested by the Benue state Police Command in the 2013 just as the men of the command last night in Daudu engaged a gang of car snatching syndicate in a bloody shootout that left 3 members of the gang and a Police officer sustaining serious bullet wounds.

Briefing journalists yesterday in Makurdi on the achievements of the command in the outgone year, the Commissioner of Police in charge of the state, Mr. Adams Audu disclosed that the command also foiled 15 robbery cases within the period.

Audu stated further, that the command also rescued 147 robbery victims across the state in the renewed onslaught against criminality in the state adding that over 32 arms and over 110 assorted ammunitions were also recovered from criminals by the command.

*Robbery

Car snatching syndicate

Meantime, Crime Alert reliably gathered from a police source that a gang of car snatching syndicate had, last night, at gunpoint seized the car of the Divisional Police Officer in charge of “B” division in Makurdi, (names withheld) at the gate of his house.

“The robbery was immediately reported to all patrol and stop and search teams in the state, fortunately the gang was sighted at Daudu and they engaged the Police in a heavy exchange of fire.

“The police however overpowered them and they abandoned the snatched vehicle and ran into the bush but the police trailed them. The heavily armed gang ran back to the road when it became obvious that the police had cordoned off the area.

“This time they snatched another SUV with registration number, Abuja AW 317 KWN and drove off.”

According to the Police source, “they did not go far because the police continued to engage the trio until they abandoned the newly snatched car and escaped into a nearby forest after their driver and other gang members were hit by police bullets.”

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, for Benue state, Deputy Superintendent, DSP, Daniel Ezeala confirmed the story adding that the two snatched vehicles were recovered by the patrol team.

Ezeala added that the Police was on the trail of the gang assuring that “they would be arrested because they have been incapacitated.”