Three females and two males were yesterday nabbed while robbing passers-by at Obosi in Idemili Local Government Area of Anambra State.

The group of five met their waterloo when a local vigilante team that was driving pass them suspected their movement and immediately stopped to know their identity.

As soon as they stopped, one of the cultists opened fire on the team but the bullet could not pierce the body of the one of the security operatives that it was shot it except for his clothes was torn by the bullets.

In a swift reaction, the attacked vigilante operative reportedly replied with his gun and got him on one of his legs but he escaped with the bullet wound.

The rest of the gang, three girls and a boy were consequently arrested and two guns, a British-made and one locally made recovered from them.

Confirming the incident, the Commander, Idemili North and South Surveillance Squad, Mr. Arthur Ilongwu, told newsmen that the run-away cultist who shot one of his boys was later arrested in Ojoto where he has gone for a medical treatment because of the bullet wound he sustained during the exchange of fire between his boys and the cultists.

He hinted that Obosi recently become notorious in cultism saying that the arrested cultists have since been handed over to the Anti-Cult Squad at Enugwu-Ukwu.

He disclosed that few days to the day of the incident, some youths were reportedly initiated into cultism by the arrested cultists’ gang.

According to Ilongwu, the new members are being hunted for to ensure that the number of cultists is drastically curtailed in Obosi and environs.

•File photo shows Police IG Solomon Arase speaking with newsmen.