The Northern regional command of the Ghana Police has mounted a grave and weighty search for yet-to be identified two men in original military uniforms for robbing fuel filling stations.
The 'Military men' who are said to be operating with sophisticated weapons are believed to be within Tamale metropolis.
According to regional police public relations officer, DSP Ebenezer Tetteh, the two men had already successfully robbed three fuel filling stations in the region with same modus operandi.
The police report that their mode of operating was quite unusual. They say it was 'smartly dodgy and wily subterfuge'.
They are well dressed in military uniforms wielding very advanced weapons( AK 47 guns), go to the filling station and tell them they were being sent by the command to search for weapons they believed are concealed in the premises, DSP Tetteh reveals.
He said, mostly because they looked calmed and reassured, the victims willingly complied. They would then asked to be led for the operation.
"They will direct the victims to open their offices table drawers and finally asked them to lead them to where they keep their daily earnings. After they identified where their monies are kept, they lead them to a room within the premise, lock them inside, take the monies and run away".
"We have three reported incidents. One in Yendi ,(Yendi municipality) the other in Sawla (Damango district)and the recent one in Gurigu(Tamale Metropolis)"- Ebenezer Tetteh.
In all cases, according to the police, these two men were able to made away thousands of Ghana cedis, especially for the Yendi and the Sawla cases but for the Gurigu case, they were able to heisted over GH2,000.00 and other swags like mobile phones.
ASP Tetteh said the police were reluctant to believed the men were genuine staff of the army force in the region but expressed worried at the increased number of incidents where criminals used state security operatives tools in perpetuating crimes in the region.
The police has therefore cautioned all fuel filling stations to stay alert and report any suspicious move to the police through their hot lines which they said had been provided to all fuel pump station in the region.
He said managers, care takers and even sales personnel must demand the identification cards of such people when they come to them with such claims.
They must also see to it that such people are using 'branded vehicles' of the institutions they claim to come from.
They advised that management of fuel filling stations must also invest on their security management by furnishing their premises with CCTV camera.
They added, all saves must be emptied at all times after sales to serve as discouragement to these criminals.
Meanwhile, the regional command will meet managers of all the 72 fuel filling stations in the Tamale metropolis to start education on the matter.
In the meantime, the police are also seeking for the relative of a 25yr old man believed to be a student of either Bagabaga College of education or Tamale Senior High School who was found murdered on Thursday 16/09/15 at the forest between these institutions.
The police preliminary investigations believed the young was shot dead at a close range.
"After examining the body we noticed there was a small cut in the ribs and upon further careful examining, we noticed a deep opening at the back, police only found a white handkerchief on the deceased" ASP Tetteh says.
The body has been kept at the Tamale Teaching Hospital morgue for preservation. The police were still investigating and no arrest was made yet.
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