General News of Friday, 25 November 2011

Source: The Herald

Two "Billionaire" Armed Robbers Killed

Luck run out for two hardened armed robbers when they audaciously engaged a police patrol team in a massive shootout using locally manufactured gun, but were overpowered with the sophisticated AK47 assault rifle the police were using.

Police reports reveal the robbers have been jumping from one joint to the other, robbing people of valuable items. The two, who had been on the police wanted list for many years, were identified as Doku alias Mellow, 41, and George Klen, a notorious robber who has been in and out of jail on many occasions.

Meanwhile, The Herald’s own investigations reveal that George Klen, hails from the Volta regional capital, Ho. His real name is George Korsi Buame Kley. He was son of the late Mr. Kley who once lived in an area called Light House at Ho-Bankoe. George, until his death owned a restaurant off the Winneba road.

His sister, Benedicta Kley was notorious swindler, she died in police custody recently, and got a grand burial attended mostly by people believed to be accomplished armed robbers on Police wanted list.

Their late father, also had a dirty history with the police prior to his death in the late 1980s. George Korsi Buame Kley is believed to have killed an officer of the Royal Dutch airline, (KLM) in the eighties thereabout and stole huge sums of money from him. He was arrested but later released by the police under a very bizarre circumstance.

George Kley, who was known as Jailbird, started plying this ingenious robbing trade over 30 years ago and owned several properties, including a three-storey building. He is said to have lasted in the operations because he is alleged to have been paying- off the police, who are in the known of his nefarious activities.

Briefing the media last Saturday, the Greater Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Rose Atinga Bio, said owing to the several reported cases of robbery in the metropolis, the police deployed several strategies to outwit such criminals who had become very skillful at what they did.

She said on Friday, while her men were out for patrol duties at East Legon and Airport Residential areas, they were prompted that there were some armed robbers who were on operation at a drinking spot called ‘XL Drinking Spot’ close to Nyaho Clinic in Accra.

Quickly, she said, the patrol team dashed to the scene, and sighted the robbers busy doing what they know best. On seeing the police, the miscreants according to DCOP Atinga-Bio, daringly engaged them in a gun battle with locally manufactured pistol, aiming at killing the law enforcers.

The police returned fire, forcing the two robbers to enter their ash-coloured Nissan Maxima private car with registration number GW4635-09 and sped off.

Unfortunately for the fleeing armed robbers, the driver of their vehicle lost control of the car after he was hit by a bullet from the police and as a result ran into a ditch, destroying the right front of their vehicle.

The two social misfits died of injuries they sustained from gunshots while being transported to the Police Hospital, for treatment.

Preliminary investigations conducted by the police showed George and Doku captured on a number of Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) at Accra’s busiest street Osu and East Legon Engine Filling Station in some robbery activities they had perpetuated earlier at these locations.

Among some of the items that were retrieved from their vehicle were: two locally manufactured pistols, three number plates, three locally made T-square iron implements known as ‘Bazooka’ used in opening any vehicle, three laptops (1HP and 2 Toshiba)

The rest were one canon vetra sonic camera, XI, IPOD Tourch-64GB and a traveling bag containing toiletries, sponge and couple of biscuits and fruit juice and documents.

Madam Atinga-Bio, cautioned the public, especially owners of bars, restaurants, hotels, and public places to be security conscious and be wary of suspicious characters who visit their joints, adding, that those people often times dress decently thereby erasing every shred of doubt about their character and intention from the minds of the public.

One of the victims of the armed robbers, a project director, who spoke to The Herald on the condition of anonymity, expressed joy over the killing of the robbers, saying his laptop which was stolen together with other things contained very valuable documents that could have stalled his work.

He commended the police for the swiftness and aptness they attached to the issue, thereby aiding their apprehension and death.