Armed Robbers Engage Police In Gun Battle

A gun battle between a group of suspected armed robbers and the police at Sepe Timpon, in Kumasi Saturday, left one of the suspects dead. Three others who were arrested have been identified as Isaac Kwadwo, 34; Nicholas Amoah, 20 and Peter Woraye, 20. The body of the deceased, identified as Kwaku Asante, 24, has been deposited at the morgue of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH). Briefing graphic.com.gh, the Deputy Public Relations Officer of the Ashanti Regional Police Command, Corporal Godwin Ahianyo, said for the past one week, the regional police command had been receiving distress calls from residents of Sawaba, Aboabo and Sepe Timpom, all in Kumasi about suspected armed robbers who rode on motorbikes, attacked and robbed them of their belongings. He said acting upon a tip-off last Friday of a similar attack, a patrol team, comprising military and police personnel, was tasked by the Ashanti Regional Police Command to intensity patrols in the said areas but the gangsters managed to escape. Following up on another tip-off on the operations of the gangsters at Sawaba and Aboabo at around 7.30pm on Saturday, the police patrol team rushed to the areas but the gangsters managed to escape again. According to Corporal Ahianyo, the patrol team later had information that the gangsters were operating at Sepe Timpom and pursued them there. He said upon arrival, the patrol team spotted about 15 motorbikes with at least two persons on each of them who were wearing masks and wielding locally manufactured pistols and machetes. He said the gangsters began firing at the patrol team whilst the team returned fire during which one of the gangsters, whose name was given as Asante died. The patrol team succeeded in arresting three of the gangsters whilst the rest managed to escape. Corporal Ahianyo appealed to the general public to feed the police with the necessary information on such activities and assured them of the police resolve to protect the identities of such informants.