Police/military arrest suspected robbers

Sunyani (B/A), Aug 20, GNA- A joint police and military patrol team have arrested two suspected car snatchers in an operation at Zongo in Sunyani. The suspects are Daniel Yeboah, 27, driver and Mohammed Mutala, 28, a labourer Assistant Commissioner of Police Kweku Ayesu Opare-Addo, Brong Ahafo Regional Commander of Police, who briefed the press said at about 1130 hours on August 10 this year some workers of J.Y. Nyamekye, a local contractor in Sunyani alerted the patrol team that they had been attacked by two young men in a taxi. He said the police quickly headed towards the direction where the workers had come from and shortly after, spotted a taxicab which fits the description given and the two occupants were immediately arrested. The Regional Commander said a search on them revealed a toy pistol, a screwdriver, a black woollen cap and some local and foreign currencies.

The taxicab, with registration number GE 1731 Y, was allegedly snatched from its owner at Sakumono in Accra and has been plying in Brong Ahafo for sometime now, ACP Opare-Addo added. He said the Police at Sakumono have been contacted and the owner requested to come and identify and collect the vehicle. The suspects, he said had been placed in custody and would be processed for court soon.

In a related development, two persons who attempted to bribe the police with 500 Ghana cedis (five million cedis) to enable them to go free after Indian hemp was found in a vehicle one of them was driving had been arrested.

ACP Opare-Addo named them as John Bosco Billa, 32, a businessman and Ambed Nsia Dominic, a 24 year-old driver from Nandom in Upper West region. The two have been placed in prison custody. He said at about 0320 hours on August 17 this year, the police at a checkpoint near Wenchi signalled Dominic, who was driving a taxicab with registration number AS 3560 X to stop, but he ignored and sped off. The police gave him a chase and on reaching another police barrier, he abandoned the vehicle and attempted to escape but was apprehended. A search in the booth of the car revealed five bales of compressed leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.

DCOP Opare-Addo said Billa on hearing the arrest of his colleague approached the police with the amount as a bribe for the release of Dominic and he was also arrested. The two will be arraigned before court on August 23 this month.