Armed robber "Hope" dies in police custody

Hope, The notorious armed robber on whose head the police offered 10 million cedis for his arrest died in custody few hours after his arrest.

Hope, 23, died around at 2000 hours of Friday after he collapsed and was rushed to the Police Hospital.

Superintendent Bright Oduro, Regional Crime Officer, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra on Monday that a post-mortem examination would be conducted to ascertain the actual cause of death.

He said Hope sustained various degrees of injury in his attempt to escape arrest last Thursday and might have died from those injuries.

Mr Oduro said Hope swam across the Odaw River and then scaled a two-metre wall of a warehouse.

He said guard dogs attacked Hope who struggled with watchmen in the warehouse before his arrest by the police.

The Greater Accra Regional Command recently posted 10 million cedis reward to anyone who would assist in his capture.

Mr Oduro told the GNA that Hope was known among his fellow robbers as "Kingpin" or "Striker" because he killed his victims upon the least resistance during robberies.

"He was noted for his intolerance and was ready to shoot. He was connected to some of the major robberies in the Metropolis", he said.

Upon initial interrogation he admitted masterminding some of the robberies in the Metropolis.

"Hope is noted to be merciless. He shoots on the slightest resistance put up by any of his victims."

Mr Oduro said Hope led the robbery attack in which one Quartey was killed, when he refused to surrender his Mercedes Benz car at Liquart at North Kaneshie in December last year.

Other accomplices in that incident were Apetoe and Cash who are still at large.

Mr Oduro said Hope also planned and executed the shooting to death of Mufu, an ex-convict, at Flamingo, near Russia in Accra on February 3, this year, because they thought he was a Police informant.

He said Hope was again involved in the Tantra Hill robbery on January 18 this year in which he shot the victim in the thigh and took away his BMW car and sold it to one Osei Wayo in Kumasi.

Ibrahim Jibiri, alias "Chop Better", now in Police grips, Aryeetey and one Isaac were the accomplices of Hope in that robbery.

Another robbery masterminded by Hope was on January 16 this year, when with other robbers - Owuraku, Apetoe and Aryeetey - they trailed a woman who had returned from Germany from the airport to her Kwashieman residence and robbed her of 7,000 Euros and personal belongings.

He said several robberies had been traced to Hope, whose 'modus operandi' was to either maim or kill his victims.