The Rivers State Police Command said its men have arrested a suspected serial rapist who lured women through dating sites to his hotel room, raped and dispossesed them of their valuables.
The police said the suspect, 34-year-old Israel Tamunokuro, who resides at Golf Estate in Odili Road also drugged his victims and forced them to disclose the pins of their ATM cards to him and subsequently emptied their accounts.
His arrest followed intelligence from the operatives of the Octopus Tactical Unit at a hotel where he was about executing the same from a prospective victim, not knowing the police were on his trail.
When contacted on Sunday, the spokesperson for the state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the arrest, saying an investigation was ongoing.
She stated, “The suspect, Israel Tamunokuro, 34, is known for his criminal activities involving luring unsuspecting women through social media platforms, particularly dating sites, to hotel rooms where he drugs, rapes, and robs them of their phones and other valuables.
“He further exploits his victims by coaxing them to disclose their ATM passwords, subsequently emptying their bank accounts while they remain unconscious.
“Upon completing his illicit activities, Israel Tamunokuro sells stolen phones, jewellery, and other valuables to two identified receivers, Obere, who operates at Garrison Bus Stop, and Godwin, who operates around Location Bus Stop, Ada George Road.
“These accomplices remain at large and are currently being pursued by law enforcement authorities.”
She stated that during interrogation, the suspect confessed to perpetrating these crimes in multiple cities, including Warri, Asaba, Awka, and Port Harcourt.
“He admitted to stealing over 18 mobile phones within the past six months, which he sold for prices as high as N300,000 each.
“Further investigations revealed that he had been engaged in these criminal acts since 2017 and had previously been incarcerated in 2021 for similar offences.”
The state police image maker continued, “The arrest of Israel Tamunokuro followed his last attempted crime, which began on December 28, 2024.
Under the alias, ‘Engineer Shola,’ he connected with an unsuspecting victim on a social media platform and arranged a meeting at a hotel along Peter Odili Road, Port Harcourt.
“After executing his usual scheme, he fled the scene, leaving his victim unconscious. His criminal activities continued until January 25, 2025, when he targeted another woman who, unbeknownst to him, had connections to a previous victim.
“The police, acting on intelligence, successfully apprehended him at the same hotel before he could carry out his plan.
“Further investigations have revealed that Israel Tamunokuro is an accomplice to a convicted rapist, Dike Belema, with whom he has collaborated for the past eight years.
According to her, during the investigation, one of the stolen mobile phones was recovered from Stella Robinson, who was identified as the wife of Belema Dike and she admitted to knowing her husband’s criminal activities.
She hinted that efforts were ongoing to apprehend all individuals involved in this case and that the suspects currently in custody would be charged in court upon the conclusion of the investigation.
