A married woman, identified as Chinasa Ani, and a phone technician have been arrested by the Delta State Police Command for their alleged involvement in the illegal use and formatting of a missing mobile phone in Delta State.
Police Public Relations Officer, SP Edafe Bright, who disclosed their arrest in a video posted on his social media handle on Saturday, said the suspects were arrested after the phone was tracked to them.
According to SP Edafe, the woman allegedly picked up the phone from the roadside, ignored calls from the rightful owner, and took it to a phone technician who helped her unlock and format the device without verifying ownership.
“The suspect didn’t make any attempt to return the phone. Instead, she took it home, discussed it with her husband, and later took it to a repairer who wiped it clean for her to start using,” SP Edafe said.
Investigations revealed that following the reset, Ani allegedly accessed the owner’s Facebook and WhatsApp accounts, and used the SIM card to contact the victim’s relatives and friends, attempting to extort money under false pretenses.
In her defense, Chinasa Ani told reporters she found the phone at the car park in Midwifery market, Asaba and initially had no bad intentions.
“I picked the phone and took it home. When it rang, I didn’t answer because I was rushing to buy bread,” she said.“Later, I showed it to my husband and he asked if there was a sim card inside, I said yes. He now said if the phone rings i should answer the call and return the phone to the owner. But then I took it to a phone technician to flash it because it was locked with a password. I didn’t tell my husband someone had already tried calling.”
When asked why she didn’t return the phone or answer the calls, Ani claimed she was unsure of what to do and eventually began using it.
The phone technician, identified simply as Anthony, also defended his actions, saying the woman claimed the phone belonged to her and that she had forgotten the password.
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“She brought the phone and said she couldn’t access it. I asked if she had a Google account on it, and she said no. I flashed it and didn’t see any account locked in,” Anthony said.“I didn’t ask for a receipt or box. I believed she was the owner because there was no lock after formatting.”
However, SP Edafe warned that such excuses would not absolve the suspects, especially technicians who enable illegal access to mobile devices.
“Any technician who flashes a locked phone without verifying ownership is aiding and abetting theft. We want to use this case to send a clear message—phone repairers must demand proof before tampering with devices brought to them,” he warned.
He further urged members of the public to report phone thefts, regardless of how much time has passed, noting that this case dated back to last year and was still successfully traced and prosecuted.
Both suspects remain in custody and will be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.
