'Toyota gang' busted

A notorious criminal gang made up of buyers and sellers of expensive vehicles has been busted by the Accra Regional Police Command.

The gang specializes in stealing pricey Toyota; some valued as much as $80,000 to sell outside the country's borders.

Among the Toyota they had snatched this month alone were a Prado, a Highlander, a Corolla and a Hilux pick-up.

According to the police, the gang's modus operandi was to trace victims to their homes and snatch their vehicles as they entered their homes.

Only last Monday, at about 12 midnight, the gang attacked a couple as they were about to enter their homes at Dome CFC in a Toyota Hilux pick-up.

Giving details of the gang's activities at a news conference in Accra yesterday, the Deputy Accra Regional Commander, DCOP Christian Tetteh Yohuno, said in the Dome incident, the suspects robbed the couple of their vehicles and personal effects, including mobile phones and money.

The victims quickly reported the incident to the Mile '7' Police Station, where two policemen, assisted by a patrol team from the regional police headquarters, managed to arrest Emmanuel Osei, 29, and Emmanuel Adu Gyamfi,30, at the Neoplan lorry station; they were in the process of boarding a vehicle to Kumasi at around 1:30 am.

Upon interrogation, the two suspects admitted the offence and led the police to the house of a third accomplice, Yaw Sarpong, at Asofan; Yaw is on the run.

The suspects again led the police to a suburb called Israel, to the house of Isaac Anim, alias Ike, 28, who is a serial buyer of stolen cars.

On that very Monday, the Police managed to retrieve one of the stolen vehicles, a Toyota Hilux, which the suspects had snatched from a couple at Dome.

DCOP Yohuno said when interrogated, Isaac told the police that he bought the Toyota Hilux vehicle from his other accomplices at GHC 15,000.

After receiving the vehicle, he sped with it to Xuxuawu Pavis, 33, a resident of Aflao, who in turn sent the vehicles to Togo for sale.

A police team was quickly dispatched to Aflao to arrest Xuxuawu, who confessed to receiving the vehicle and sending it to a village called Adidome in Togo.

DCOP Yohuno said with the assistance of the Aflao and the Togo police, they were able to retrieve the Toyota hilux from Togo.

A search in the home of Isaac uncovered two boxes containing eye drugs belonging to the Bawku Presbyterian Hospital, a driving license and a passport belonging to a driver of the hospital vehicle.

The driver of the Bawku Presby Hospital vehicle had been attacked by the suspects on September 9 after he had come to Accra from Bawku.

He was also attacked as he was about to enter his house at Pokuase.

The hospital vehicle, according to Adu Gyamfi, was sent to Isaac, who in turn sold it to Nana Osei.

Also, on September 13, the gang snatched a Toyota Prado at Kwabenya, but abandoned the vehicle on the hills of Asofan after it developed a fault.

Two of the vehicles have so far been retrieved while the police are still on the hunt for Nana Osei, Yaw Sarpong and Eric Adjei.

According to the police, Isaac and Nana Osei, alias Acura, are the main financiers of the gang's operations.

Isaac usually gave his Nissan Maxima light gold car to the other accomplices to trace the victims before they embarked on a robbery attempt.