By Augustine Ehikioya
Cracking down on crimes, Police officials in Ghana have arrested two men, suspected to be part of a gang of armed robbers who attacked the Upper Amenfi Rural Bank at Jukwa near Wassa Akropong on 27th June, 2022.
The suspects are Tahiru Issaka alias Red and Yahuza Mohammed.
A statement by the Director, Ghana Police Public Affairs, Chief Superintendent of Police, Grace Ansah-Akrofit, and made available to Security Watch Africa (SWA), also disclosed that the suspects were arrested at hideouts in two different locations in the Ashanti Region on 25th August, 2022.
It said “One other person, who was shot during the operations and died later, was identified by the two suspects as Gafar Ziyech Abdul alias Stone, the leader of the gang.
“These suspects and three other accomplices attacked the bank on 27th June, 2022, disarmed the security guard on duty, assaulted two of the bank staff and made away with an unspecified amount of money and a pump action gun.
“The robbers also shot one other person who attempted to mount a roadblock to prevent them from escaping.
“When the robbers realised they were being pursued by the Police, they set their vehicle ablaze and abandoned it hoping that would foil the Police tracking them,” it stated.
The statement said that the combined effort of the Western, Ashanti and the Bono East Regional Police Intelligence Directorates, spanning an eight-week period, has led to the arrest of the suspects in the Ashanti Region.
The Police, it said, has so far retrieved four vehicles including the one that was set ablaze and abandoned by the robbers, a motorbike, two pistols and a quantity of ammunition.
The statement added “We wish to commend the intelligence officers in the Western, Ashanti and Bono East Regions for their hard work and collaborative efforts which led to the breakthrough in the investigations toward solving the case.
“The two suspects are currently in custody and the pursuit of the other accomplices continues.
“We wish to assure the public that these criminals can run but cannot hide. Wherever they are, we will get them,” it said.