FRSC Recovers Suspected Stolen Vehicle, Arrests Two in Anambra
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Anambra Sector Command, has recovered a suspected stolen Toyota Corolla and facilitated the arrest of two suspects during a routine vehicle documentation and verification exercise under the National Vehicle Identification Scheme (NVIS) in Awka.
The Sector Public Education Officer, SRC Margaret B. Onabe, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday, saying the breakthrough followed efforts by officials at the Anambra NVIS Desk Office to verify the vehicle’s ownership records.
According to the statement, the vehicle was presented for documentation by a Road Safety officer attached to the Anambra Internal Revenue Service (AIRS). During the process of uploading the vehicle details to the NVIS portal, officials detected discrepancies in the chassis number.
Further examination revealed that the original chassis number had allegedly been altered, with the digit “1” replaced by the letter “I”. A fresh verification of the original chassis identification tag against the NVIS database showed that the vehicle already had an existing ownership record.
The FRSC said subsequent investigations indicated that the vehicle had allegedly been stolen on October 29, 2022, when the wife of its registered owner was abducted by suspected criminals, who later pushed her out of the vehicle before fleeing with it.
Following the discovery, the individual who presented the vehicle for documentation, identified as Mr Onyejiaka Lawrence Onyebuchi, was invited for further physical verification using an OBD II diagnostic scanner at Mopol Junction, Agu Awka. Police officers from the Central Police Station, Awka, who were contacted to assist in the operation, arrested the suspect on arrival.
The command said the registered owner of the vehicle, Bro. Arinze Obasi, was subsequently contacted and provided documents confirming ownership. The vehicle dealer alleged to have sold the car to the suspect was also arrested to aid ongoing investigations.
The recovered Toyota Corolla was initially secured at the FRSC Anambra Sector Command before being handed over to the police, while the two suspects remain in the custody of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Reacting to the development, the Anambra Sector Commander, Corps Commander Bridget Asekhauno, advised members of the public to exercise caution when purchasing used vehicles by verifying ownership documents and vehicle details through the appropriate channels before concluding any transaction.
She also urged residents to promptly report suspicious vehicle transactions or suspected cases of vehicle theft to relevant security agencies, reaffirming the FRSC’s commitment to collaborating with other law enforcement agencies to combat vehicle related crimes and protect the integrity of the National Vehicle Identification Scheme.
