Robbery suspect trapped attempting to siphon diesel from vehicle

There was a mild drama on Thursday in Umudioka Awka, Awka South Council area, Anambra state when the hand of a 25-year-old man got stuck inside the tank of a truck while attempting to siphon diesel from the truck.

The suspect, identified as Anayo Igwendu, from Enugu state, was said to have gone where the vehicle was parked as early as 2am and had succeeded in siphoning the content before he was trapped.

A resident of the area, identified as Victor, said the suspect had successfully filled a bucket with the diesel and was using a foamy object to dry the remaining before luck ran out on him.

He said he had no option than to raise an alarm after struggling to remove his hand from the tank to no avail.

“We were attracted by his wailing and lamentation and had to come to his rescue.

“One of us brought a chisel which we used to detach the tank from the vehicle to enable him move about with part of the tank,” he said.

Our correspondent gathered that the suspect was later taken to the village hall of the community where a large crowd of people gathered to have a glimpse of the thief.

Reacting, the owner of the vehicle, who identified himself as Onyebuchi, described the incident as divine, attributing it to the fasting and prayer he observed the previous day.

He was optimistic that the incident would serve as a warning to other criminal elements in the area.