Two members of the four-man robbery gang that purportedly attacked Bext Nascent Forex Bureau at Mpamprom in Accra have appeared before an Accra Circuit Court for robbery.
They are Yakubu Alhassan, welder and Haruna Abdulai aka Borbor, unemployed.
The police have intensified the search for one Issah and another who is currently at large.
The prosecution, led by Chief Superintendent Duuti Tuaruka, said that the four persons at about 2:30 pm on March 23, this year robbed one Bismark Boateng of GH¢150,000 which belonged to the aforementioned Forex Bureau.
Appearing before the court, presided over by Aboagye Tandoh, the two denied the charges of conspiracy to rob and robbery.
They were remanded into police custody until April 13.
This was after the court had dismissed the application for bail filed by lawyer C. K. Hoeyi, counsel for Yakubu.
He argued that his client had gone to Abossey Okai also in Accra to purchase some materials for his welding business when he was arrested by the police.
Hoeyi stated that no money or gun was found on his client, adding that Yakubu ought to be granted bail by the court.
. But C/Supt. Tuaruka said the charges preferred against the accused persons were non-bailable, especially when two of the accused persons, were being sought by the police.
In a ruling, the judge said the request for bail was premature.
C/Supt. Tuaruka said Boateng is the manager of the Forex Bureau at Mpamprom in Kaneshie and that on the said date the accused persons and the others on the run went to the Bureau under the pretext of doing business.
He said in the process, the accused persons pulled a locally made pistol on Boateng and two others workers at the Bureau, took them hostage and made away with monies in the safe and drawer in both local and foreign currencies totaling GH¢150,000.
C/Supt. Tuaruka noted that after the robbery, a staff at the Bureau raised an alarm and with the assistance of a police patrol team from Kaneshie and the people in the vicinity, the accused persons were arrested while the two others escaped.
He said when Yakubu and Haruna were being chased by the mob, they fired indiscriminately and in the process 14 persons sustained gunshot wounds and were rushed to the police hospital.
The senior police officer said due to the severe injury sustained by Haruna, he had not been able to give his statement to the police but Yakubu admitted the offence in his caution statement and mentioned Haruna as his accomplice, as well as the others on the run.
He stated that GH¢58,000 and the locally-manufactured pistol were retrieved from Haruna and Yakubu.
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