Police at Akyem Ofoase arrest three car snatchers

Akyem Ofoase (E/R), Oct. 19, GNA - Three young men who seized an Opel Vectra taxi cab at gun point from its owner at Obuasi were on Tuesday arrested by the police at Akyem Ofoase in the Birim North District with the assistance of some vigilant youth.

The three, William Aboagye, Augustine Agyei and Boakye Ansah, all believed to be in their 20s together with the vehicle had since been handed over to the police at Fumesa in the Ashanti Region.

Briefing the Ghana News Agency at Akyem Oda, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sampson Agbeko, the Akyem Oda Divisional Crime Officer said the three suspects hired the vehicle, which was being driven by one Augustine Asare with registration number AS 5311 S on October 17 at about 0900 hours at Obuasi.

He said a few kilometres away from the town the three men attacked the driver with an axe and a locally made pistol and forcibly seized the car from him.

"The driver later reported the incident to the police at Fumesa and a despatch team led by Police Inspector Gyan Gyamfi and four men pursued the car snatchers", he said.

ASP Agbeko said the three managed to take the vehicle to Akyem Ofoase where it developed a mechanical fault. He said while a mechanic was working on the vehicle, the suspects saw a police vehicle approaching and they took to their heels in different directions.

The crime officer said a vigilant youth in the town chased them and Aboagye was arrested in the process. He said with the assistance of the townsfolk the police managed to arrest Agyei and Ansah later in the bush.