Police smash vehicle robbery syndicate

Cape Coast, Sept. 8, GNA- A 25-year old unemployed, Kojo Enoch, and 28-year old Michael Boateng, a phone repairer, were on Wednesday arraigned before a Cape Coast Circuit Court for allegedly snatching three KIA Sephia taxi cabs at gun point

They both pleaded not guilty to three counts of robbery and conspiracy to rob at Awutu Bereku and Awutu Bontiase in the Awutu Senya district of the Central Region and were remanded in police custody to reappear on Friday, September 9.

Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Charles Anku told the court presided over by Mrs. Florence Kai Otu that on Wednesday, August 10, the Accra Regional Police Command received information that a robbery syndicate suspected to be robbing and snatching cars from various regions in the country were operating in and around Kasoa in the Central Region.

He said the police mounted an operation and arrested the two accused persons who upon interrogation confessed to having stolen eight cars but police investigations led to the recovery of four out of the eight.

He said three of the recovered vehicles which were robbed at gun point at Awutu Bereku and Awutu Bontiase had been identified by their owners who had earlier reported the stolen vehicles at the Central Regional Police Headquarters. Chief Inspector Anku further told the court that the accused persons' modus operandi was that they hired the taxi cabs and along the way, ask the cabbies to stop for one of them to urinate or attend to nature's call.

He said when the car grinds to a halt, one of them will hold the driver from behind whiles the other one drags him out of the car after which they speed off.

Chief Inspector said those who try to resist are tortured before the car is taken away. The first thing they do after possessing the car is to change the number plate.