Two young men were arrested for allegedly trying to snatch a woman’s hand bag containing N405,000 last Thursday inside Madalla Market, Suleja, Niger State.
A witness said the incident happened around 3:12p.m. when the two suspects trailed the woman after she alighted from a motorcycle and went to buy items inside the market.
He said the two suspects who pretended to be buyers at the melon section of the market monitored the woman as she was busy loading melon inside a sack while she kept her bag close to her leg.
“It was when the woman wanted to pick her bag to pay for the melon that she discovered that the man who had pretended to assist her had already handed over the bag, which contained N405, 000, to his colleague,” he said.
The crowd pursued the suspects and arrested them, while the handbag was retrieved and handed over to the woman.
He said the two suspects were beaten up before vigilante members arrived and took them to the police station.
A member of the vigilante said such thefts are prevalent at Madalla on market days.
The Divisional Police Officer in charge of Madalla could not be reached for comment, but a police officer confirmed the incident, saying police are investigating the matter.
