A robbery suspect in a Delta State community, Emmanuel Chinagorom, has confessed that the quest to give his mother a befitting burial led him into crime.

Chinagorom confessed to the crime when he was arrested by members of the Agbor Gha-Ihun Vigilante Group in Agbor, Delta State.

According to reports, the 24-year-old suspect specialised in stealing phones and other valuable items in Agbor and environs.

The suspect was reportedly apprehended red-handed at a shop in the locality and was handed over to the vigilante group.

Speaking to newsmen, the Abia State-born suspect claimed to be an electrical technician by trade but opted into stealing to enable him to give his late mother, “whose body is lying in the mortuary, a befitting burial as the first son.”

“I enter shops pretending to patronise them but my aim was always to steal valuable items like phones. This is my first time in Agbor before I was caught,” he said.

Chinagorom further confessed that he worked with a northerner based in Asaba who bought the stolen phones, adding that he had chosen the path of stealing as he had no helper to assist him to start off life.

While pleading for forgiveness, he acknowledged that his involvement in criminal activities had brought disgrace to him.

The Chairman of Agbor Gha-Ihun Vigilante, Comrade Monday Kiyem, told journalists that they “would continue to ensure that Agbor and its environs remain unsafe places for criminals like the apprehended suspect.”

The vigilante chairman disclosed that during investigation, they discovered several telecommunication SIM cards and phones in the suspect’s possession and that many of his victims who were later called, complained that their phones were stolen at different places.

He said, “Some of the victims who reside in Agbor have come to our office to identify their phones and narrated how the suspect came to their shops pretending to buy an item but ended up stealing their phones.

“I will hand Emmanuel over to the police for further investigation and bring his fleeing gang members to book”.

The Special Assistant on Security to the Delta State Governor, Comrade Kiyem, urged criminally-minded individuals to flee from Agbor or be ready to face the wrath of the law when caught.