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General News of Thursday, 16 January 2003

Source: DG

Armed robbers grabbed

THE Accra Regional Police Command has arrested three suspected armed robbers believed to be members of a car-snatching gang operating in the country.Kwadjo Anum, 19, Shaibu Akim, 24, both Ghanaians, and Salifu Mahama, 19, a Nigerian, were arrested upon a tip-off after they had snatched a taxi from the driver at gunpoint at Zongo Junction, a suburb of Accra, on Monday.

The suspects mentioned their accomplices only as Aza, Alhassan, Charles and Ahmed, who are all on the run. Mahama told a large number of police personnel that he drove the armed robbers during their operations to snatch cars. He also said that his group has been involved in most of the car-snatching incidents in the country. He said within the last two weeks, his gang had successfully snatched four cars.

Mahama said he was involved in a robbery at Kasoa recently. The Greater Accra Regional Police Commander, Mr Kofi Boakye, said last Monday, the suspects hired an Opel Kadett taxi with registration number GT 1341 T, from Kwame Nkrumah Circle to Korle-Bu.He said when they got to the second traffic light near the Zongo Junction, the suspects ordered the driver at gunpoint to stop.

When the driver complied, one of the suspects, who was then sitting in the front seat, pushed him out and drove off.Mr Boakye, who is also an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), said the suspects then drove the car to their hideout to change the number plates. Then some people saw them and raised an alarm. He said when the robbers realised that they would be arrested, they tried to escape but the people alerted the police who chased and arrested them.

Mr Boakye said the suspects are part of a list of 20 wanted armed robbers. He said the police are working hard to arrest all of the suspects on their wanted list.