A accused crook disguised himself as a customer to take two sacks of rice from a retailing shop in Lagos State’s Olowora district.
The suspect, who is still at large, was alleged to have gone to Olabisi Opeyemi’s business on Thursday afternoon with two boys, both approximately 15 years old, to buy two 50-kilogram sacks of rice.
The suspect was alleged to have convinced Opeyemi’s younger sister, Alima, who was at the shop at the time, that the boys were his brothers and that their mother also owned a business nearby.
He allegedly abandoned the boys and rode away with the staple on a commercial motorbike, promising to return shortly to pay.
When he didn’t return after a few minutes, one of the lads was claimed to have gone looking for him. Alima sounded the alarm while the other youngster, a local, attempted to flee.
She realized she had been duped when the youngster informed her he didn’t know the man and had simply been asked to help him lift a load at the shop.
Because he did not return to the business, it was unclear if the youngster who went in search of the suspect was also employed as ‘collateral.’
According to PUNCH, Opeyemi, who talked over the phone, claimed she was upset by the loss of the products and that the crime had depleted her savings.
Opeyemi stated that she did not report the event to the police because she knew the boy’s impoverished mother, who asked her to drop the case.