Rivers State Police Command has “smashed” an online criminal syndicate specialising in luring, kidnapping, and raping women and then collecting ransom from their relatives.
The police announced that two members of the gang had been arrested by the police intelligence unit in different areas of the state.
According to the police spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, the arrested men, Ikechi Promise and Darlington Obi, used the popular dating app, Tinder, to lure unsuspecting women seeking relationships. “Their modus operandi was to lure girls out through chats on Tinder for relationships,” said Iringe-Koko.
The group’s luck ran out when they kidnapped and raped a 28-year-old woman, stealing her two iPhones and a Samsung mobile phone and collecting a ransom of N600,000 before releasing her.
Iringe-Koko also revealed that there had been an increase in cases of women being lured and kidnapped through social media platforms. She advised women to be cautious of relationships on social media that would require them to meet people they haven’t physically seen or met before.
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