Criminals swim through filthy stagnant Lagoon

Tema Manhean, Dec. 16, GNA- Criminals at the European market of the Tema Fishing Harbour on Thursday, exhibited their skills by swimming through the filthy stagnant Chemu lagoon into the sea on seeing the police approaching.

They rendered the police helpless as they could not follow them into the sea; however, they managed to arrest three of them including a Rastafarian believed to be the leader.

On Seeing the police and newsmen approaching in a broad day light operation, people in the area started shouting, 93they are coming=94 alerting the criminals who suddenly jumped into the lagoon and swam very fast into the sea.

The Tema Police has intensified its operation to rid the city of criminals and other undesirables to enable residents go about their duties comfortably, especially during the yuletide festivities. The criminals had made a small open space in between the lagoon and the shore as their hideout making accessibility very difficult as any one who attempts to reach them would be prevented by the lagoon. In all, nine people were rounded up in two different hide outs in the municipality and have been remanded in custody for investigation and prosecution.

At Abonkor, also a notorious suburb of Tema Manhean no arrest was made, but the police was able to arrest six people later in their operation including some foreign nationals.

Traders and fish mongers lauded the police for the exercise and prayed that it continued to help them transact their business smoothly in a sound atmosphere.

Some of them complained to the GNA that the thugs normally harass them by snatching their monies and mobile phones and have turned the whole place into abode in the night. Chief Inspector Yaw Nketia-Yeboah, Tema Regional Public Affairs Officer said all the nine, whose names were not readily made available, would be thoroughly investigated and put before court. He said the exercise would continue to bring sanity to the community.