Mob Lynches Suspected Armed Robber

An angry mob yesterday lynched a 35-year-old suspected armed robber at Nablo in the Upper West Region. The deceased whose name was not immediately known, was said to be part of a gang that terrorised commuters between Nablo and Ping in the Sissala West District. Two others � 30-year-old Abu Salami and Yusif Hamidu, 29 � also said to be accomplices of the deceased were however, rescued by police whose timely intervention saved the two as the mob sought instant justice. At Ping, locals claimed they had suffered years of torture in the hands of the gang. Acting public relations officer of the Upper West Regional police command, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Edmund Nyamekye said at about 6p.m. last Tuesday, two men, Danladi and Sumaila, lodged a common complaint at the Tumu Divisional Command of the police service that they had been attacked at Nablo by six suspected armed robbers and their motorbikes taken away. Community vigilance He said the district commander consequently organised his men at the various stations in the district in a quick effort to arrest the suspects. That effort, he said, was complemented by local residents who organised themselves into groups to confront the suspected criminals as news of the latest activity of the gang spread through the various communities. At about 4:30 a.m. yesterday, some community members of Nablo who had laid ambush during the night encountered the deceased and identified him as one of the suspected armed robbers, Mr Nyamekye said. They then pounced on him and beat him to death. According to the police PRO, the other two were also arrested by some community members at Ping almost concurrently, but they were rescued by the police�s timely arrival at the scene. He said the police managed to retrieve an amount of Gh₡250.00, 1500CFA, four mobile phones and a talisman from them. The two rescued by the police were in custody, while the deceased had been deposited at the morgue of the regional hospital in Wa. Mr Nyamekye said the police were still searching for the remaining three.