Police kills one suspected highway robber

The Eastern Regional Command of the Ghana Police Service has killed a suspected highway robber and arrested four other suspects, suspected of attacking and robbing travelers on the Nsawam portion of the Accra-Kumasi Highway at dawn.

The suspects and another, who was shot dead were arrested when they stormed a vehicle after smashing its side mirror with stones.

The four whose names were given as Benjamin Lodo, 17, Devine Zanu, 23, Andrew Zanu, 24 and Mawuli Zanu , 24 are currently in police custody to assist in investigations.

Briefing the media, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Yaw, Nketia-Yeboah, Regional Police Public Affairs Officer, said at about 00.14 hours on Wednesday, the five robbers threw objects into a moving vehicle to force their victims’ vehicle to a stop.

He said, when the vehicle stopped, the robbers charged on the passengers with machetes but unfortunately for them some policemen on board the vehicle opened fire and in the process, one of the suspects (name withheld), was wounded whilst the rest managed to escape.

ASP Nketia-yeboah said, the wounded robber was rushed to the Nsawam Government Hospital for treatment but he was pronounced dead on arrival.

He said the police patrol team decided to return to the crime scene at about 0400 hours, where they met Benjamin Lodo and Devine Zanu, a rastaman discussing specific sequence of the encounter, which only an eye-witness could give at the time .

According to ASP Nketia-Yebaoh, the police invited the two but they took to their heels.

The patrol team managed to arrest the two suspects, who then led the police to arrest Andrew Zanu, on whom nine mobile phones without-chips in them were found after a search.

He said two masks and a quantity of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, one tigo chip and an Airtel chip were also found on Devine Zanu, adding that, at the house, Mawuli Zanu was also arrested.

ASP Nketia-Yeboah said,the command had recorded a total of ten robberies along the Nsawam-Kumasi highway this year, including an attack on a Member of Parliament.

He therefore cautioned motorists to desist from stopping at secluded areas on highways, especially around communities bordering Nsawam including Dobro, Afutu, Govinakrom and Sekyikrom.