Robbers Rape Passengers On Highway

Several female passengers on board about 15 vehicles from Mampong heading towards Kumasi on Monday evening, allegedly suffered the unpleasant experience of being raped at gunpoint by a group of highway robbers who barricaded the road with blocks at the Mampong scalp area, unconfirmed reports states.

The unidentified hoodlums, whose exact number was still unknown, reportedly snatched several valuable items including mobile phones and huge sums of money belonging to their hapless victims—most of them were believed to be traders.

Allegations emerging indicated robbers satisfied their libido on the hapless female passengers in turns on the main road at the full glare of other male passengers and drivers of the blocked vehicles.

The robbers, after raping the women and taking away the belonging of the passengers, dashed into the thick forest near the robbery scene, leaving no trace of their hideout.

Sources alleged that by the time the police heard about the robbery spree and rushed to the scene, the robbers had already finished what could best be described as successful robbery expedition and fled.

Meanwhile, when contacted, ASP Yussif Tanko, the Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed that indeed a robbery incident happened at the Mampong scalp area on Monday around 11:00 p.m.

He was, however, quick to debunk reports that several women were raped during the robbery spree, stating that information reaching the police indicated nobody was raped during the incident.

ASP Tanko also debunked media reports that about 20 vehicles were robbed during the incident and said that reports gathered from one of the affected drivers indicated only five vehicles were robbed.

According to him, one of the robbed drivers by name Collins Adu, 40, told the police that when his vehicle reached the robbery scene, four vehicles had been stopped by the robbers who were then seizing items of their victims.

He said his bus, which was the fifth vehicle at the scene, was also stopped by the robbers who snatched his (Adu) techno mobile phone and a cash of GH¢170 and that another person on board his car, Mensah, was also robbed of his GH¢70.

Adu, during his report to the police, said though he saw passengers on board the other four vehicles being robbed, he could not pinpoint what the robbers took from them, since he was far away from them.

The driver told the police that he saw six robbers who had covered their heads with a cloth, with one of them in possession of a single barrel gun, during the illegal operation which lasted a few minutes.

ASP Tanko said reports that the police did not have any patrol vehicles on the Mampong/Kumasi stretch of the road, was not true. He indicated that the police had stationed four patrol vehicles in that area alone.

He said the driver, Adu, whilst lodging a compliant with the police, said a certain driver told him that the police were combing the road and this motivated him to set off. However, he unfortunately became a victim of the robbers.

ASP Tanko said apart from driver Adu who reported the matter to the police, the remaining four drivers were yet to report the matter to the law enforcement agents.

The Police PRO expressed worry over drivers’ decision not to report the matter to the police. He admonished affected drivers and passengers of robbery expeditions to always report matters of that nature to the police.