A Tarkwa circuit court has sentenced four armed robbers, who have been engaging in series of crimes on the Agona Amenfi-Sfewi Bekwia road in the Western Region, to 50 years imprisonment each with hard labour.

They pleaded guilty.

Two other accused persons Kofi Abotsi and Ebenezer Sam, who were alleged to be part of the robbery gang, pleaded not guilty to the charge and will re-appear before court on Septembers 3.

Prosecuting, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Albert Adiita, told the court presided over by Mr. Samuel Obeng Diawuo that the complainant is the manager of Sinapi Aba Trust financial service at Sefwi Wiawso while the convicts Kwadwo Antwi, 30, Yaw Adarkwa, 50, Adams Chamago, 42 and Desmond Cobinah, 52, including the accused persons are all residents of Asankrangwa in the Amenfi West district.

DSP Adiita said on July 23rd this year at about 1730 hours the convicts and accused persons wore masks and armed themselves with three locally made guns and attacked a commercial vehicle on which the complainant was carrying GH¢5,000 in a bag belonging to the company was on board with six other passengers in the vehicle.

According to the Prosecutor, the robbers attacked the commercial vehicle at Akwe Alla, while they were heading towards Sefwi Bekwai on the Agona Amenfi- Sefwi Bekwai road.

He said on seeing the vehicle the robbers dressed in jute sack jumped into the middle of the road from a nearby bush and Antwi fired a warning shot which scared the driver to stop.

DSP Adiita said the robbers immediately ordered the passengers to get out of the vehicle and forcibly took the complainants bag containing the money from him and fled in to the bush.

The prosecutor said after sharing the money they obtained from the attack equally, the rest was used to settle the taxi driver they hired to take them to Agona from where they went to the robbery scene on foot.

He said after embarking on the crime they hid the locally made guns in a cola nut plantation and the owner of the farm found it while weeding and reported to the Police.

DSP Adiita said after the Police had retrieved the gun, an informant told them the convict and the accused persons were involved in the robbery.

He said the robbers were arrested and after a careful investigation they were charged with the offense.