Cops nabbed for fertilizer theft

The KNUST District police have arrested two policemen, and their civilian accomplices believed to be members of a cocoa fertilizer theft syndicate operating in the Ashanti Region.

General Corporal Centile Jones, with service number 39062 and Detective Corporal Eric Odoom with number 38359 – both serving officers at the Kumasi District ‘A’ Police Command – were reportedly arrested red-handed half way into the operation at Fumesua, near Kumasi at the Noda Hotel area.

The law enforcement agents, in the company of their civilian accomplices – CPA Richard Osei; Kwame Adjei, a trader and Kwaku Wireku, a driver – had allegedly gone to load a Daewoo truck, registered AW 3758-13, with 300 bags of “So Abapa” cocoa fertilizer, with intent to divert the product meant for cocoa farmers, when they were grabbed.

A police source told DAILY GUIDE that the KNUST District Police Command, acting on a tipoff, proceeded to the Noda Hotel area and arrested the three civilians and the officers, who were armed with a pump action gun, at about 5:00 am yesterday.

The source said the law enforcers found on the suspects GH¢2,310 cash and 300 bags of the “So Abapa” cocoa fertilizer loaded in the truck at the scene.

DAILY GUIDE gathered that initial information relayed to the police indicated that the suspected fertilizer thieves and the officers involved were extorting money on the Kumasi-Ejisu highway from unsuspecting motorists.

At the time of filing this report, all the five suspects were in custody at the KNUST police station, waiting to be transferred to the regional police command for further investigations.