Five suspected armed robbers were yesterday killed on the Tema Motorway in a gun battle with personnel of the Accra Regional police command.
The five, according to the Regional Police Commander, DCOP George Alex Mensah, were among a gang of 15 persons who had been attacking some people in Accra and Kasoa, Central Region.
Four of the slain robbery suspects had been identified as Habib, Paa, Baby Jet and Birdman; but the fifth person was yet to be identified.
Briefing the media, DCOP Mensah said the incident occurred at about 1:20 am yesterday.
He said the police had information that a group of armed robbers had planned a massive attack on some people in Accra and Kasoa.
The suspected armed robbers, according to him, were using three cars – an unregistered Pontiac Vibe, a Toyota Corolla taxi with registration number GT 3036-17 and a Sprinter bus with registration number WR 1596 X.
The team, through surveillance, met the suspects in the said three vehicles moving towards Kasoa direction on the motorway.
DCOP Mensah averred that on seeing the police operation vehicle, the gangsters started firing at them, compelling the law enforcers to call for re-enforcement.
The police, the commander asserted, also opened fire on the suspects and in the process, some of the bullets hit a number of them, killing the five.
The suspects who sustained gunshot wounds abandoned their deceased colleagues in the Toyota Corolla taxi and the Sprinter bus at the end of the toll booth and bolted with the unregistered Pontiac Vibe.
A search conducted in the two vehicles led to the discovery of two locally made pistols, one foreign pistol loaded with four rounds of ammunition, 9 rounds of AAA cartridges, 2 heavy duty cutters, three sharp knives, two cutlasses and a talisman.
DCOP Mensah said police intelligence had revealed that the suspected armed robbers were connected to several robberies in the Greater Accra metropolis, especially the recent attacks and robberies of Forex bureau.
The bodies, according to the Accra Regional police commander, were going to be deposited at the Police Hospital for preservation.
He noted, “The police strongly suspect that those who escaped sustained gunshot wounds and would go to some of the health facilities for medical treatment.”
He therefore, appealed to such health facilities – including traditional health centres – to report to the police any strange wounds brought to their facilities for treatment.
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