Police in Enugu State has clarified a viral video that sparked rumours of organ harvesting at a hotel in the state.
The video, which surfaced on X.com on Sunday, showed two women being rescued from a hotel room, allegedly saved from having their organs stolen.
One of the women in the video claimed the men were with guns.
It was also said that she was rescued when she attempted to jump out through the window after the suspects went out of the hotel room.
But in a press release shared on X.com on Monday, the command’s spokesperson, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, debunked the claims.
Ndukwe explained that after preliminary investigations, the incident turned out to be a case of extortion and fraud, not attempted murder or organ harvesting.
The statement read, “The Enugu State Police Command has intercepted a viral video showing two ladies alleged to have been rescued from a hotel room in Enugu, where they were tied up in an attempt to harvest their organs by two young men.
“The Command, therefore, wishes to state that, contrary to the misleading narrative on the incident, preliminary investigation revealed a case of demanding money with menaces and fraud, and not murder or human organs or parts harvesting as being peddled.”
It further stated that the women said to be commercial sex workers, met the suspects at a hotel on Agbani Road, Enugu, on July 3rd.
They returned to the same hotel the following day, where the men allegedly threatened, beat, and tied them up.
The statement added, “At the hotel, the suspects beat and tied up the girls in the hotel’s room toilet after menacingly demanding and obtaining their phones and account details, including their Personal Identification Numbers (PINs).
“They surreptitiously found their way out of the hotel before the victims were rescued, as seen in the video.
“They further fraudulently withdrew a cumulative sum of one hundred and twenty thousand (₦120,000.00) from the victims’ accounts.”
The police said a bag containing two kitchen knives and sportswear the suspects left behind has been recovered, while an investigation is underway to arrest the fleeing suspects.
In light of this incident, the police added that owners and managers of hotels have been advised to exercise the highest standards of security alertness and ensure that lodgers are properly screened and their verifiable details obtained before being accommodated.
He also cautioned against going out with strangers, particularly males, under any guise to avoid falling prey to similar criminals and their activities.
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