Rivers State Police Command arrested an alleged serial rapist, Tamunokuro, who lured women to a hotel through a date location and deprived them of valuables.
Tamunokuro, 34, lives in Golf Estate on Odili Road, also drugged the victims and forced them to disclose the pins of their ATM card to him and then clear their accounts.
His arrest comes after intelligence from an Octopus Tactics Department surgical staff at a hotel, after he is about to execute the same hotel from a potential victim, unknown to police on his trail.
State Police Department spokesman SP Grace Iringe-Koko confirmed the arrest of the assault on Sunday, March 30, 2025, saying an investigation is underway.
“The suspect, 34-year-old Israeli Tamunokuro, is known for his criminal activities, involving attracting unsuspecting women to hotel rooms through social media platforms, especially dating sites, where he takes drugs, rapes and robs their cell phones and other valuables,” PPRO said.
“He further exploited the victims by coaxing them to disclose their ATM passwords, and then cleared their bank accounts while in a coma.
“After completing the illegal activity, Israeli Tamunokuro sold stolen cell phones, jewelry and other valuables to two identified recipients, respectively, who operated at the garrison bus station, Godwin and Godwin
“These accomplices are still large and are currently being pursued by law enforcement authorities.”
During the trial, she said the suspects pleaded guilty to committing the crimes in several cities including Worri, Asaba, Awka and Port Harcourt.
“He admitted to stealing more than 18 phones in the past six months, and his price is as high as 300,000 n300,000.
“Further investigation revealed that he had been engaged in these crimes since 2017 and had been imprisoned for similar crimes in 2021.
“After the last attempted crime that began on December 28, 2024, Israel Tamukuro was arrested.
Under the alias “Engineer Shola”, he has connected with an unsuspecting victim on social media platforms and arranged meetings at a hotel on Peter Odili Road, Port Harcourt.
“After implementing his usual plan, he fled the scene and left the victim unconscious. His criminal activity continued until January 25, 2025, when he targeted another woman whom he had contact with a former victim,” PPRO said.
The police acted on intelligence and successfully arrested him at the same hotel before he carried out his plan.
“Further investigation shows that Israel’s Tamunokuro is a co-conspirator of convicted rapist Dike Belema, who has worked with him over the past eight years.”
According to her, a stolen cell phone was found during the investigation from Stella Robinson, who was identified as Belema Dike’s wife who admitted to knowing about her husband’s criminal activities.
She hinted that efforts are being made to arrest all individuals involved in the case and that after the investigation is over, the suspect currently in custody will be prosecuted in court.
