Suspect allegedly posed as genuine buyer, claimed payment had been made before police were called
A man identified as Omila has reportedly been arrested after allegedly attempting to drive away with a Mercedes-Benz GLE 43 AMG reportedly valued at about ₦70 million from a car dealership in Delta State.
According to information obtained by an IBN News reporter, the incident occurred at Joyce Autos, located opposite the Urhobo College gate, where the suspect allegedly presented himself as a financially capable customer interested in purchasing the luxury vehicle.
The suspect reportedly arrived at the dealership well dressed and allegedly gave the impression of someone prepared to complete a major vehicle purchase.
After what was described as a lengthy negotiation with the dealership’s management, the suspect reportedly obtained the phone number of the female owner of the business and informed her that he would return the following day to complete the transaction.
However, the suspect allegedly returned when the business owner was not around and approached the workers at the dealership.
According to the account, he allegedly told the workers that he had already reached an agreement with their boss and claimed that payment for the Mercedes-Benz had been transferred to her.
The suspect allegedly succeeded in convincing the workers that the transaction had been concluded.
The workers reportedly prepared a receipt and handed over the vehicle and its documents to him, apparently believing that the vehicle had been legitimately sold.
The situation reportedly changed dramatically as the suspect prepared to drive the Mercedes-Benz out of the premises.
According to the account, the owner of the car dealership unexpectedly arrived at the location while the suspect was still attempting to leave with the vehicle.
The owner allegedly moved quickly to prevent the vehicle from leaving, reportedly driving into the premises and securing the gate.
She then reportedly alerted the Police, leading to the intervention that stopped the suspect from allegedly driving away with the luxury vehicle.
The incident has since generated serious questions about the method allegedly used by the suspect to convince the dealership’s workers that the expensive vehicle had already been paid for.
Further claims circulating about the incident allege that the suspect may have used juju or another form of spiritual manipulation to influence the workers.
However, IBN News cannot independently verify the claim of spiritual manipulation, and there is currently no verified evidence establishing that juju was involved in the incident.
What is clear from the account is that the alleged attempt was stopped before the vehicle could leave the dealership.
The incident also highlights the security risks facing automobile dealers handling high-value vehicles, particularly where employees may rely on verbal claims of payment without independently confirming transactions with the business owner or financial institution.
Dealerships dealing in expensive vehicles are often exposed to sophisticated fraud attempts, making verification of payments, vehicle ownership documents and transaction approvals an important part of preventing losses.
In this case, the alleged claim that payment had already been made reportedly persuaded workers to prepare documentation and release the vehicle before the business owner personally intervened.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are expected to become clearer as Police investigate the suspect’s alleged actions and determine whether criminal charges will follow.
IBN News understands that the suspect is being investigated in connection with the alleged attempt to take the Mercedes-Benz from the dealership.
The alleged incident also serves as a warning to car dealers and businesses handling expensive goods not to release vehicles or other valuable property based solely on verbal assurances that payment has been made.
IBN News will continue to follow the development and report verified information as it emerges.
