"Kumasi Ataa Ayi" Busted

The Ashanti Regional capital?s most notorious armed robber, generally called Kumasi Ataa Ayi, has told the police after his arrest that he killed most of his victims because they struggled with him. The original Ataa Ayi is serving time after he was convicted of multiple daredevil armed robbery operations in Accra, some fatal.

The booty from Kumasi Ataa Ayi?s exploits has gone into a flourishing supermarket, restaurant and washing bay complex at the Garden City?s Race Course. The lone gunman, Eric Alfred Zienne, 25, a.k.a. Home Burger is the most wanted person on the list of the police. His operations cut across the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions and he uses an AK47 rifle and Honda motorbike.Also known as the Lone Ranger, Zienne was arrested by a combined team of policemen and public-spirited people last Thursday at his supermarket complex. Upon his arrest, Zienne confessed to committing about 30 robberies in the two regions, with three of such robberies targeted at the Nana Owusu Ansah Company Ltd in the Garden City.

He said he intended quitting robbery upon the completion of an ongoing building and other projects, and disclosed to journalists that he bought his weapons from an undisclosed source and at one time dispossessed a policeman of his weapon at the Mamponteng toll booth in the Kwabre District.A native of Kusele near Nandom in the Upper East region, Kumasi Ataa Ayi said he has a girlfriend but has no child, adding that he preferred embarking upon his robbery operations alone as this enhanced his chances of escaping arrest. The suspect usually goes into action immaculately dressed on his motorbike with his weapons concealed in his jacket.

Briefing the media, the acting Ashanti Regional Police Commander, ACP Seth Charles Oteng said a ?20 million ransom placed on the suspect?s head helped in his arrest. His arrest, the Police Chief said, is a major breakthrough for his outfit, explaining that on July 26 this year, at about 5pm, Zienne robbed the transport manager of Blue Banana Ventures at Kotwi of ?56 million at gunpoint.Another disclosure from the police has it that the suspect had, on July 31 2007 at about 5pm, robbed one Owusu Ansah, director of Owusu Ansah Company of ?90 million.

Barely a week after that, he attacked the man again during which he shot and killed his security man, identified as Atiso, and went away with an amount of ?159 million. As if that was not enough, the notorious robber attacked Owusu Ansah?s Brofoyedru branch and again robbed them of ?400,000 and two mobile phones. After executing another robbery operation, according to the police, he embarked upon the infamous attack on three employees of Gocrest Security Company who were on routine rounds collecting customers? deposits, during which he fired at the right thigh of one of them and eventually dispossessed them of an undisclosed amount of money.

In the company of two other robbers, Zienne on April 3 this year, struck at a Goil Filling Station at Akropong Junction where he shot and killed a security man, Baba Ali.He has also committed another robbery at Akaatiso near Sefwi, where he stole ?15 million. He robbed at Ntensere, Sunyani Tyco, New Dormaaa, Old Chiraa, Fiapre toll booth and Tanoso near where his accomplice, Akwasi Kusasi was arrested and lynched by a mob. The police chief was appreciative of the public support which led to the arrest of the suspect.