A FIERCE gun battle between police and five accused highway robbers on the Kumasi-Bibiani route killed one of the hoodlums, according to the police.

The remaining four suspects were able to flee the area, but they are believed to be nursing gunshot wounds, so hospitals and the general public have been warned to be on the watch.

The criminals had stopped two automobiles, completely laden with passengers, at gunpoint at 7:30 p.m. on June 2, 2025, and were about to rob them when police arrived.

"Upon sighting the police, the suspects, armed with the pump action gun, opened fire on the patrol team," a police statement signed by DSP Godwin Ahianyo said.

"The officers reacted quickly, returning fire and mortally wounding one of the suspects, who was later pronounced dead by a medical doctor at Afari Government Hospital.

"The remaining four suspects fled the scene and are currently at large," DSP Ahianyo of the Ashanti Regional Police Public Affairs Department stated in the report.

The police believe that the "fleeing suspects may have sustained gunshot wounds," as a result of the heated gun battle with the police, he claimed.

"The Police are therefore appealing to all medical facilities and practitioners to be on the lookout and report any persons presenting with gunshot injuries to the nearest police station," they stated.

DSP Ahianyo confirmed that the deceased suspect's body has been put at the Afari Government Hospital morgue for preservation and further investigation.

He complimented the Nkawie Patrol Team for their bravery and professionalism in responding quickly to the situation and averting a potentially fatal tragedy, and he urged the public to support the police.