Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Godwin Ahianyo
The cover of suspected robbers belonging to a syndicate that had been terrorising people living in Kumasi have been blown.
The robbers, who had been robbing mostly mobile money vendors in the Ashanti Regional capital were arrested with the help of closed-circuit television (CCTV) devices fixed at some vantage points.
Two of the robbers arrested have been linked to mobile money robbery that occurred at Bantama and Buokrom Estate, both in Kumasi, in April and June respectively.
The Ashanti Regional Police Command has described the robbery incidents in the two communities as ‘similar’, saying “it is this very syndicate who perpetrated that crime.”
Operation
Three robbers, armed with foreign pistols, stunned residents of Bantama when they robbed workers in a mobile money shop, after taking them hostage at about 7 pm on April 21, 2021.
The robbers were seen ordering the shop attendants at gunpoint to pack cedi notes into plastic bags in an operation that lasted about two minutes.
A few weeks later, on June 1, 2021, another robbery incident in a similar fashion was recorded at Buokrom Estate Junction.
The Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Godwin Ahianyo, said the two were arrested in Accra.
“Arrest has been made. Some persons have been arrested. In both cases, we had video footages via CCTV cameras. We’ve been able to identify some persons.
“We are in touch with Greater Accra region [police]. The suspects are with the Accra Regional Command; they are investigating them in other related cases,” he was quoted to have said.
“The very last one that you are talking about too was also perpetrated by the same people because, in the CCTV footage, we’ve identified one person who was involved in earlier two cases,” he added.
Mr Ahianyo cautioned the populace to be vigilant and take their personal security seriously.
“We wouldn’t say that because we are preventing crime, crime wouldn’t happen. Why do we go on patrols? It’s part of our preventive measures. We have our rovers who ride on motorbikes. It’s a preventive measure.
“We have the visibility patrol who are also in town during the day. It is a preventive measure. We have our detectives who are in town detecting crime. It’s a preventive measure,” he added.
Bounty
In another development, the Ghana Police Service has placed a bounty of GH¢20,000 on gunmen who shot to death a police officer, G/Constable Emmanuel Osei, and an eyewitness, 40-year-old Afua Badu, during a robbery incident involving a bullion van at Adedenkpo, a suburb of Jamestown in Accra, on Monday.
The Service’s Director of Public Affairs, Supt. Sheilla Kessie Abayie-Buckman, says although they are working earnestly to apprehend the criminals, they are calling on the general public to give information that would lead to the arrest of the culprits to receive the reward.
She added that the identity of the informant will be confidential.
Suspected armed robbers on Monday shot dead a police officer and an eyewitness during a robbery incident involving a bullion van at Jamestown, making away with a Police AK 47 rifle and unspecified amount of money, said to be in a ‘Ghana must go’ bag.
According to eyewitnesses, the police officer was providing security for the van while the lady was a bystander who witnessed the incident. The driver of the van also sustained severe injuries.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), James Oppong-Boanuh, on Tuesday met with the Governor of Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr Ernest Addison, executives of the Association of Bankers and managing directors of banks to discuss solutions to minimize the risks associated with moving cash in the country.
He has also assured the family of the late General Constable Emmanuel Osei that the perpetrators of the heinous crime would be brought to book.
