Mr. Meshach Isinugo a.k.a Big Shark, the suspect that was arrested for allegedly absconding with a car from an Abuja car stand, has denied the allegation, saying that he only took the car he was test-driving to Delta State for business.
In an interview with The Nigerian Tribune, Big Shark said he decided to quickly use the car when the dealer, who sat in the passenger seat during test driving, did not return quickly after going to get cash to buy fuel in a filling station.
The suspect said that the day after he got to Delta, the car dealer angered him by posting his picture on the internet and calling him a car thief, as well as threatening that the police were after him.
He said that the dealer’s action made him switch off his phone so that he would be unreachable before he was eventually arrested in Benin, Edo State.
Narrating his side of the story, Big Shark said, “I didn’t steal the car, but it was not mine. What happened was that I got the owner’s contact from an online platform (name withheld). He posted the car’s picture on the platform, putting it up for sale. When I called him to indicate an interest, he told me to come for the car inspection. He was also Abuja-based and the location he invited me to was at Garki.
“I saw the car, and the intending seller put the price at N58 million. I offered to pay N30 million and he said I should test-drive it so that I would know the value of what I was pricing. He gave me the car key and sat on the passenger seat.
“When we got to a filling station, he asked me to pull over as he needed to buy fuel for the car. He told me to wait so that he would go and get some cash to buy the fuel. I waited for his return for three hours but he was nowhere to be found, and I was already causing a queue at the filling station. I called his line several times but it was switched off.
“It was already dusk so I drove to my residence at almost 8 pm. My phone had gone flat then, so I charged it when I got home and called him again. His line was switched off.
“The following day, I drove down to Delta for a business. That same day, I saw the picture that he posted on the internet, calling me a car thief. His call also came in and he told me he had informed the police and they were tracking the car. This made me mad at him. It was crazy. I switched off my line known to him and started using my other line.
“My uncle saw me with the car and he asked me about it. I told him how the car came by and he got mad and slapped me. He said he would not allow me to drive the car but would report it at a police station. I ran from him because he assaulted me. I was eventually arrested in Benin, Edo State. I didn’t steal the car, I only drove it from Abuja to Delta. If I were the car dealer, I would just look for a way to get the car back. That would work.”
Recall that it was reported that the suspect zoomed off with a Mercedes GLB 250 worth N50 million from a car stand in Abuja after he had gone for test-driving.
The Delta State Police Command confirmed the operatives of the force began a manhunt for the suspect which yielded results when he was picked up at a park in Benin, Edo State.
It was learned that the suspect had been transferred to Abuja where the act was perpetrated.
