Two Cops Shot Dead , Robbers Lynched

THERE was mayhem at Asante Mampong yesterday when two policemen were shot dead in cold blood by a gang of armed robbers who stormed an agency of the Otuasekan Rural Bank in the town.

Incensed by the action of the robbers, the youth of the town massed up in bravery and succeeded in tracing four of the robbers, three of whom they lynched.

The robbers first fired at the policeman on duty at the bank, killing him instantly before forcing their way into the bank.

Another policeman, who was transacting business in the banking hall and heard the gun shot, was not spared by the robbers as he also suffered a similar fate.

Having killed the two security personnel, whose names were given only as Constable Awere and Corporal Kusi, the robbers made away with large sums of money.

That was the second time in less than two years that the bank had been raided by armed robbers.

In the first raid, which occurred at the Kofiase agency of the bank, the robbers made away with about ?30 million.

A source close to the Ashanti Regional Police Command said a lunatic who was loitering around the bank premises was also shot and is said to be in critical condition. There are no reports of any casualty among bank’s staff.

The source said an angry mob at Mampong, which massed up after the robbers had bolted later traced them to their hide-out, where three of them were lynched.

One of the alleged robbers was apprehended by the youth of the town and handed over to the police. The source said an unspecified amount of money was retrieved from them.

A crack police and military reinforcement from the Regional Striking Force and the Buffalo Unit has been dispatched to Mampong to investigate the robbery case.

The source said the robbers stormed the bank around 12.40 p.m. and started firing sporadically to scare away people loitering around the bank.

According to the source, the robbers first shot at Constable Awere, who was on duty, from a distance and when Corporal Kusi, who was at the banking hall heard the shot and attempted to find out what was happening the robbers shot at him, killing him instantly.

Thereafter, the robbers stormed the banking hall at gun-point and made away with large sums of money being the day’s business transactions.

The robbers then bolted in a waiting car but when word went round the town about the robbery, the youth mobilised and gave them a hot chase.

The source said the mob managed to trace them to their hide-out after they had abandoned the Opel Saloon car with registration number WR 3050 Q which was used in the operation.

The mob overpowered the three and lynched them.

At the time of filing this report, bank officials from the Mampong branch of Otuasekan Rural Bank were accessing the total amount of money stolen by the robbers.