The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a housewife, who stole her mistress’s jewelry valued at over N20 million and sold it for a mere N1.3 million.
The housewife, identified as Freedom James, 25, a mother of a nine-year-old girl, will definitely be kissing goodbye to her name, freedom, for a while, if she is found guilty of her crime in a court of law.
Freedom said that she stole the jewelry after her mistress and husband left home for their respective places of work.
And she was said to have committed this crime just a day after she resumed working for the couple.
She resumed on a Wednesday, by Thursday, the deed was done and she had flown the nest.
She and her husband, James Maddy, have been arrested.
But one Denise, who allegedly masterminded the crime, is still at large.
According to detectives, on October 3, 2012, the owner of the jewelry reported at area F Command Headquarters, Ikeja that on September 20, 2012, while she was looking for a house help, one John and Joseph Obong brought one Rejoice to work for her.
But Rejoice worked for only two days and disappeared.
The mistress complained to James and Joseph who brought another house help named Comfort (Freedom).
She worked for only a day, ransacked the woman’s home and stole her jewelry worth about N20 million and vanished into thin air.
The case was transferred to the Special Anti Robbery Squad, Ikeja, on October 5, 2012.
During investigation, with the help of Aisha Haruna, Superintendent of Police, who is the Divisional Police Officer, Ikoyi, Freedom Maddy was arrested.
She was later identified as Comfort, the principal suspect.
Freedom/Comfort told policemen that she took the gold home to her husband, Maddy James, in company with Denise, who had earlier presented himself as Agent John, who usually assists people in recruiting house helps.
Freedom, James and Denise sold the jewelry for N1.3 million to one Hassan Bawa.
Lagos State Police Command spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, said: “This group and many others at large specialize in gaining employment as house helps or driver with false names, addresses, guarantors and phone numbers and then escape with the employers’ goods, cars, etc.
“All three suspects are still undergoing interrogation and efforts are on top gear to recover the stolen gold.”
Freedom, who said that her madam is a trader, revealed how she was able to cart away her stolen wares in spite of the presence of a security guard and giant Alsatian dogs.
She said: “It was after my madam and her husband left that I took the jewelry.
“It was Denise who got me the job as a house help with those people.
“It was also him, who told me to look around the house and tell him items I could see.
“Denise is a friend to my husband.
“When he got me the job, he bought me a phone.
“He insisted that I should never use the phone to call anybody except him.
“He called and asked items I could see in the house I said jewelry.
“He said I should bring them.
“I packed them into nylon, put it under my cloth, around my stomach area and walked to the gate.”
She knew the security guard would want to stop her, thus she pretended she was having serious stomach cramps, cleverly hiding the bulge of the nylon.
She told the man that she was suffering from an habitual stomach pain and desperately needed to go out to buy drugs for her ailment.
The security guard offered to go for her, but she said no.
She further pleaded with him to cage the dogs, which the security guard did, fearing the worst.
As soon as she walked out of the gate, she disappeared, thinking she had won.
She insisted that she did not know what came over her on that day, which made her to commit the crime.
She further claimed that if not for Denise that pushed her into committing the crime, she would never have done so in a million years.
“I don’t know what came over me. I was even surprised at myself,” said Freedom in an amazed voice, which detectives did not buy for a minute.
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