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ABOUT SEVENTEEN suspected hoodlums who have allegedly been troubling innocent people in Kumasi with their illegal activities are now in the firm grip of the law. The suspected lawbreakers including one woman called Mercy Owusu were picked up during a police swoop at two different locations in the Ashanti regional capital on Wednesday evening. Kumasi police acting upon a tip-off raided Amakom Bonsam Gyamu and Anloga Fanti Newtown, two localities where most suspected hoodlums in the city reside and succeeded in arresting the 17 suspects. The suspects include Collins Enning, Alfred Ofori, Kwame Yeboah, Kwaku Bagako, Isaac Asangalisah, Kwaku Sarpong, Kwaku Amankwah and Emmanuel Obeng. The rest are Kwasi Boakye Yiadom, Baba Issah, Maxwell Nana Asenso, Michael Mensah, Richard Arhin, Kwaku Frimpong and Saliu Kazali. DCOP Patrick Timbillah, Ashanti Regional Police Commander told the press at a briefing Thursday that offensive weapons were also found on the suspects when they were grabbed. He said one locally manufactured gun, hacksaw, two sharp knives, a bottle of alcohol, dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, a whitish substance believed to be cocaine and one unspent cartridge were found on the suspects during their arrest. DCOP Timbillah some residents of Amakom Bonsam Gyamu and Anloga Fanti Newtown had provided police with information about the illegal activities of the gangsters in their neighborhoods. According to him, residents of these two communities complained bitterly that they were living in fear due to the massive presence of ruffians in their midst. Armed with this vital information, DCOP Timbillah noted, the police conducted its own investigations and realized that indeed some people were causing trouble in the two areas. To stop the gangsters from further disturbing members of the two communities, he said, the police raided those two areas on Wednesday evening to arrest the suspects. He said in the course of the massive swoop, the 17 suspects including one female were grabbed and brought to the station. The police boss noted the suspects would be interrogated thoroughly, adding that they would be processed before court very soon. DCOP Timbillah is noted for his efforts in weeding out criminals in Kumasi and its immediate environs. So far, the Ashanti regional police commander has managed to chalk several feats in the fight against criminals and has promised to sustain the good work to make Kumasi a trouble-free city.