Addis Ababa — The Addis Ababa Police Commission said it has been conducting investigations on looting suspects and exhibits seized during recent police campaigns to pre-empt possible crimes amidst the hustle and bustle of Easter celebrations.

The Commission said it has beefed up security in connection with the holiday to protect residents and property from falling victims to criminals and also from accidents, including motor accidents.

In the activities so far, police had tracked down on and put under custody 316 suspects, along with numerous stolen articles, Deputy Commissioner Tesfaye Meressa said. "This was made possible through a study conducted on 284 relevant documents and 465 suspected culprits."

The study was conducted as a pre-emptive measure to lessen criminal incidences sure to be much more higher during holiday-shopping days, and also to check possible accidents through measures including road traffic control, the commission told ENA yesterday citing Tesfaye's statement.

Among exhibits seized are cell-phone gadgets, auto spare-parts, electronic appliances, a highjacked auto, vehicles employed by suspects for mugging, a pistol (revolver), cartridges and gold jewels, among other articles.

The commission is returning the looted property to their rightful owners, the Deputy Commissioner said. There are articles in the safe of the police awaiting claimants, he indicated.

The police have beefed up security since Thursday to check on thieves and manage traffic flow.

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