Five armed highway robbers nabbed

The Half Assini Police have arrested five persons believed to be armed robbers who take delight in terrorizing travellers on the Mpataba-Elubo Highways in the Jomoro district of the Western Region.

The suspects are Charles Abeiku Frimpong, 20 from Mankessim in the Central Region, Kojo Ibrahim Brenya from Asutuare, Kojo Anumeba 18, from Asafo, Ismanu Adams 18, and Mubarak Mohammed all from Kumasi in Ashanti Region.

The Jomoro District Police Commander, Superintendent John Ferguson Dzineku, made this known to the Ghana News Agency at Half Assini.

Mr Dzineku said following a highway robbery on Oct. 23 at Nyame Bekyere near Elubo, during which a Nigerian woman, Madam Roseline Oguneleke, was shot dead by the perpetrators after robbing the passengers of their valuable item, the Police in the area started a night patrol on the highways.

The Police Commander said on October 24, 2012, at about 1200 hours, the Police patrol team came across a Nissan Almbra Taxi with Registration Number AW 8062-12 which they suspected to be a get-away vehicle and begun monitoring it.

According to Mr Dzineku, somewhere on the road, the suspected robbers turned around the taxi and blocked the road in an attempt to attack the Police vehicle whose occupants were dressed in civilian clothing.

He said later when the robbers saw that the vehicle was rather a Police car, they sped off only for five of them to be arrested later and during a search on them, a foreign pistol was found on one of them who confessed to the Police that he shot the Nigerian woman.

Superintendent Dzineku said during a search on the vehicle at the District Police Headquarters at Half Assini, one Pump Action Gun and a locally manufactured short gun and 18 pieces of life “BB” cartridges, 16 rounds of ammunition and a bunch of keys were found concealed in the bonnet of the taxi.

The Police Commander said the suspects would be arraigned before the Half Assini district magistrate court immediately after investigations.