A woman and two men have been apprehended in Abuja after allegedly attempting to steal a phone from a shop using a box-swapping tactic. The trio was caught at Heart Plaza and handed over to the police.
How the Box-Swap Scam Worked
CCTV footage that has been circulating since last week shows young men placing empty phone boxes in their bags before visiting phone stores. They would request to purchase a phone, and when the store attendant handed them a new phone in a box, they would secretly swap it with the empty box from their bag. They then returned the empty box to the attendant, claiming they were no longer interested in buying, and walked away.
Victims Across Abuja
Many phone sellers in Abuja have reported falling victim to this scam. The recent arrest occurred after a vendor at Heart Plaza noticed the suspects attempting the same tactic. The vendor managed to detain the group before they could escape and raised an alarm.
During questioning, the woman in the team broke down in tears. Other business owners in the plaza gathered to embarrass the group before handing them over to the police.
Link to Previous iPhone Thefts
Phone shop owners across Abuja have connected the suspects to the disappearance of multiple iPhones, including iPhone 15 models, which were seen in earlier viral CCTV footage. The suspects are believed to be part of a larger gang operating in the area.
