Ho, Dec 27, GNA - The Police in Ho has within the last seven days busted two robbery gangs in two separate operations. In the first swoop on December 22, a police escort on bullion van carrying money from the North-Tongu Rural Bank at Adidome to Ho, engaged three highway robbers in a shootout, killing one and wounding two others, one of whom escaped.

Mr Samuel Tetteh, Ho Municipal Police Commander, who confirmed the story to journalists in Ho, said that the vehicle stopped at a road block near the VRA Sub-Station near Ho at around 1730 hours. He said a robber, who emerged from the bush with an AK 47 riffle, ordered occupants of the vehicles to get out, aimed at the driver but missed target.

The Municipal Police Commander said the police escort returned fired, hitting the suspected robber wielding the gun and shot at two others holding machetes and clubs. Mr Tetteh said two of the wounded armed robbers, suspected to be Nigeriens, were sent to the Volta Regional Hospital, where one was pronounced dead.

In the second case, Elorm Kofi Koto, driver, and Patrick Ahovi, mechanic, both 26, based in Accra, were on Friday identified at a parade by victims of December 20 robbing spree un Ho. A third person is on the run. Mr Tetteh said at around 1700 hours on that day, the suspects entered the warehouse of Dzialet Food and Detergents distributor at the outskirts of Ho, ordered workers at gun-point to enter the building of the company.

He said the suspects forced the workers to lie with their faces on the ground and took away 10,018 Ghana Cedis from the cashier's safe and left by unregistered motorbike. Mr Tetteh said they also attacked a the Coca-Cola distributing unit at Dome, a suburb of Ho on the Ho-Aflao road, took away Ghc 4,600 Ghana cedis, locked up the workers and escaped by a motorbike. He said the robbers were arrested at Denu, while travelling on a Golf Private Car through Keta to Accra.