Five suspected armed robbers, including a teenager, have been arrested for allegedly robbing passengers of five vehicles and killing a pregnant woman near the Ankasa Forest Reserve in the Jomoro District in the Western Region.
The suspects were arrested when, in their attempt to rob more passengers, they mistook a police patrol vehicle for another passenger vehicle on Thursday night.
During initial interrogation by the police, the suspects are said to have confessed engaging in the crime.
The five have are Charles Abeiku Frimpong, 20, a taxi driver at Mankessim in the Central Region; Kwajo Anuba Abukari, 24; Kwadzo Ibrahim Brenya, aka Lumba; Osuman Adam, 18, and Mubarak Mohammed, 22.
A pistol, a gun and a pump action gun they used in the robbery have been retrieved by the police.
According to the Jomoro District Police Commander, Superintendent of Police Mr John Ferguson Dzineku, the five vehicles which were attacked included four passenger buses which were bound for Abidjan.
He said the robbers blocked the road at a location on Wednesday night and robbed the passengers, mostly traders from Nigeria, of their money and personal effects.
“After stopping the four vehicles and robbing the passengers, the fifth vehicle, which was also heading towards Elubo, refused to stop and the robbers started shooting indiscriminately. A bullet penetrated the bus and hit the pregnant woman in the chest, killing her instantly,” he said.
The District Commander said the police responded swiftly to a distress call made to them for help but the robbers bolted into the Ankasa Forest Reserve.
He said interestingly, the robbers did not leave the area but mounted another attack on Thursday.
Unfortunately for them, in their attempt to rob again, they mistook a police patrol team for a target.
Asked how it happened, Mr Dzineku said while the police were on patrol, a vehicle drove past them at top speed.
He said the patrol team decided to follow that vehicle, but “just when they were about getting closer to the vehicle, the robbers had blocked the road again, mistaking the unlabelled patrol vehicle for a passenger vehicle”.
He said the patrol team quickly strategised and managed to disarm the robbers.
Mr Dzineku said some of the passengers on board the vehicles that had been attacked were helping the police in their investigations.
Source: Daily Graphic
| Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |
