By Tony Adibe
Operatives of the Enugu State Police Command attached to the Central Police Station (CPS), on 11th May 2026, at about 10:50 a.m., rescued and rearrested two male suspects from an angry mob after they were allegedly caught engaging in ATM debit card swapping and fraud at a commercial bank along Okpara Avenue, Enugu.
The suspects are identified as Onyeka Timothy (aged 34) and Philip Chima Nwankwo (aged 32), according to a statement issued by the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe.
NewsBits, quoting Ndukwe in the statement, reports that preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects allegedly swapped the ATM debit card of a female victim while pretending to assist her in carrying out a transaction at the ATM point.
“The victim reportedly raised the alarm, leading to the immediate arrest and lynching of the suspects by an angry mob before Police Operatives swiftly intervened, rescued, and rearrested them,” said the PPRO in the statement.
He further explained that “A TVS tricycle allegedly used in carrying out the criminal activity and the victim’s swapped ATM debit card were recovered from the suspects, who confessed to the crime. They will be arraigned in court once investigations are concluded.
“The Commissioner of Police, Enugu State Command, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, has reiterated the Command’s commitment to sustaining efforts against all forms of financial and cyber-related crimes in the State. He also urged citizens to desist from taking the law into their hands by assaulting suspects, but instead promptly hand them over to the Police for lawful investigation and prosecution.”
