Titus Danjuma, a 27-year-old man arrested for stealing 17 mobile phones after breaking into a phone shop has told the police in Edo state that Vigilantes used force to collect the phones from him after beating him to coma.

It was gathered that Danjuma had on May 28, broken into a phone shop located in a plaza around Ikpoba-hill neighborhood and stole 17 mobile phones.

After successfully committing the crime, Danjuma went to a neighbouring community named Ahor, where some members of a vigilante group accosted him.

According to the suspect, the vigilantes searched his bag, and found the 17 mobile phones and began to question him.

Danjuma said after he confessed to them that he broke into a phone shop and stole the phones, the vigilantes beat him to coma.

He added that he regained consciousness and witnessed them sharing the proceed of the crime among themselves, before they released him.

On how he was arrested a month later, a police man from the command said when the shop owner discovered his shop had been broken into, he alerted the police, security personnel, employees and other occupants in the plaza, where his raided shop is located and also shared Close Circuit Television (CCTV) footage of the incident with them.

Armed with this information, the suspect was spotted at Aduwawa area of the state by an occupant of the plaza, who immediately alerted the police, leading to the arrest of the Danjuma.

The suspect who was immediately transferred to the anti-crime unit of the state Police command gave useful information that led to the arrest of the vigilante group leader.

The police source added that the vigilante group leader who was found with five of the cellphones has now been detained.