Crime & Punishment of Thursday, 12 October 2006

Source: GNA

Robbery victim identifies suspects at hospital

Kumasi, Oct 12, GNA - There was drama at the Manhyia District Hospital in Kumasi when a robbery victim who had gone to the hospital to seek medical attention following severe injuries he sustained from extensive beatings by the armed robbers, was said to have identified four of the six robbers who allegedly attacked him at the same hospital.

The victim, Mr Martin Boateng, a trader, is said to have been robbed of his cash running into several millions of cedis and subsequently assaulted with offensive weapons by the robbers at his residence at Kenyase in the Kwabre district last month.

Briefing the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi on Thursday, a source at the hospital said the victim who was being accompanied by his wife alerted some officials of the hospital immediately he identified the suspects.

The GNA gathered that following this development, the Manhyia police station was also alerted which detailed some personnel to the hospital to mount surveillance and arrest the suspects who were believed to have gone to the hospital to seek medical attention for one of their colleagues who sustained gunshot wounds in a shoot-out with the victim during the robbery.

The source said, however, that the suspects who became suspicious of attempts to have them arrested took to their heels but were pursued by the police who managed to arrest two of the culprits whilst the others escaped.

The two, Yaw Marfo and Kwame Gyamfi, were handed over to the Ashanti Regional Police Command.

Confirming the incident, Police Inspector Mohammed Yusif Tanko of the Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Unit, said his outfit has intensified investigations into the case to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of the crime.

He indicated that Marfo and Gyamfi would soon be put before court after police investigations as the docket in respect of the case had been forwarded to the Attorney General's Office for advice.

Inspector Tanko said in a related development, one Baba Karim Agana, who is alleged to be a member of the armed gang that robbed Mr Boateng, was on Thursday arrested and placed in custody pending further investigations into the case.

He said Agana, a mason, was arrested at Moshie-Zongo, a suburb of Kumasi by some members of the Neighbourhood Watch Committee following a tip-off.