Armed Robers, Armed Robbers, Armed Robbers

Police arrest two youngsters suspected to be armed robbers

Two youngsters suspected to belong to a gang of armed robbers that had for sometime now been robbing traders on the Ejura-Yeji road have been arrested by the Asante-Mampong Police.

Yaw Amos, 18 and Kwaku Ameyaw, 14, all hail from Banda-Boasi, in the Brong-Ahafo Region. A locally manufactured pistol, five rounds of ammunition, a catapult and a bicycle were retrieved from them.

Alhaji Hamidu Mahama, Mampong Divisional Police Commander, told the Ghana news Agency that following a tip-off, the police launched a search for the suspects and apprehended them at their hideout.

He said the modus operandi of the robbers now was to recruit and train young boys to spy on the movement of the traders and assist in transporting their ammunition to their hideouts and give them the time and when to strike. Alhaji Mahama said prior to the arrest of the two, speculations were rife that leaders of a gang of armed robbers were in town, but they quickly scattered when the two scouts were arrested.

He has, therefore, cautioned the public to be on the look out for suspicious youngsters in their midst or in their vicinities. Yaw Amos told the GNA in the presence of Police that he had access to the pistol about four years ago during the Banda-Boasi chieftaincy crisis. He said he knows how to handle different types of guns.

Twenty-five armed robberies in Eastern Region in three months

Most of the robberies occurred on the Nsawam-Nkawkaw Highway and the Koforidua-Somanya-Senchi trunk road, the Regional Police Commander, Mr Selwyn Bart Mettle, announced at a meeting with leaders of three motor unions in Koforidua, on Wednesday.

He said in most cases, the robbers seized vehicles from drivers to execute their crimes, adding that this could be checked if drivers were vigilant to provide the Police with information on suspicious characters, who invariably study the movement of vehicles and passengers before waylaying them.

He asked the union leaders to warn passengers with huge sums of money to bank the money for cheques or bankers drafts. They should also look out for owners of luggage that might contain firearms, implements for robbery or narcotic drugs and "not be content with only the fares and charges."

The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) expressed concern about the divisions and acrimony within and among the various transport unions and called for a united front to enable them to become reliable allies of the Police in combating crime.

Mr Mettle urged the unions to form watchdog squads at the lorry stations and join others in their communities to form similar squads, stressing that, "every law-abiding person is important in the creation of crime consciousness and vigilance against criminal activities."

The Regional Commander also drew the attention of the unions to the current exercise against illegal timber operations in the region. He asked them to caution their members to be on their guard against being lured to cart chain-sawn lumber since the vehicles would be confiscated to the state when caught.

Spokesmen of the unions assured the Police of their full co-operation in the anti-crime crusade and urged the Police to help them rid the lorry stations of wee peddlers and vendors of alcoholic beverages.

The transport unions represented were the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Co-operative Transport Union (CTU) and the Progressive Transport Owners Association (PROTOA).