Operatives of the Katsina State Police Command have arrested a kidnapper-turned crippled, Buhari Haruna, while attempting to pick up a ransom for a kidnap operation.
The suspect, 22-year-old Haruna, is a resident of Kankia Local Government Area in the state; he was paraded at the state police command on Monday, for threatening and masterminding a kidnap attempt on one Hamisu Salisu of the same Kankia community.
The suspect, who claimed to be a phone repairer, was said to have called his prime target on phone and demanded the sum of N2million to save his family from being killed or kidnapped.
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According to SP Isah Gambo, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, the suspect while making the threat, was said to have revealed that his initial plan was to kidnap the victim’s father but suspended the idea, realising that the old man was sick and hospitalised.
Hamisu, who reported the matter to the police, was advised to play along with the suspect who instructed him to drop the N2million ransom at a location if he wanted to save his family from being abducted.
Unknown to him, the police had cordoned off the area, waiting for the suspect to appear and pick up the ransom. He then came as a physically challenged crawling on his knee and buttocks to take the ransom.
“The Katsina Police Command has succeeded in arresting a person with a special need who turned himself into a kidnapper and demanded for a ransom of N2million. It may interest you to know that this gentleman here, Buhari Haruna is 22 years and from Kankia LGA of Katsina State.
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“On 20 August, he sent a threat message to one Hamisu Salisu, who is also from Kankia LGA and demanded for the ransom N2million or risk being kidnapped.
“In the course of an investigation, the victim reported to the Kankia Police Division where preliminary investigation led to the arrest of this suspect.
“The fact of this case was that the police advised the victim to comply with the instructions of the suspect and he made mention of a place where the N2million ransom was to be taken to him.
“We planned and successfully took the money to the location and after we dropped the money with our men hanging around the area, fortunately enough we saw this gentleman crawling and he went and took the ransom money.
“Then our men rounded him up and he was arrested,” SP Isah Gambo said.
In the course of interrogation, Haruna confessed to the crime though he claimed that it was only his first time.
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