COP, EX-SOLDIER, 2 OTHERS FOR COURT, FOR EXTORTION AND ROBBERY

By Felix Engsalige Nyaaba

The Four persons, including a policeman and an ex-soldier, who were arrested last week by the Accra Regional Police for conniving to  rob people of their money and other belongings, would appear in court today to face the law for the offence.

The Deputy Accra Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mr. Christian Tetteh Yohuno, told The Enquirer in Accra last Thursday that the four suspects who are still in the hands of the police to help investigation.

He said, though investigation was still ongoing, charges would be preferred against the four for the offences  which many people have fallen victim to.

According to the Deputy Regional police Commander, “the suspects would be charge for the offences committed and put before the appropriate law court for remand to assist further investigations”.

The suspects are Lance Corporal Martin Agyare of the Police Mobile Force in Accra, ex-Leading Aircraftman, Iddrisu Ato, Harrison Tawiah, a driver, and Agbeko Mannah, a carpenter.

They are alleged to have carried out their illegal operations at wee-smoking joints and at Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) of banks where they trailed their victims and rob them.

DCOP Yohuno noted that, the AK 47 and the 10 rounds of ammunition that was retrieved from the four gang are some of the material exhibits that would be used as evidence to strengthen the prosecution case in court.

The four suspects were arrested upon a tip-off by a team of police detectives from the Accra Regional police command who laid  ambush at the Achimota Station where the gang usually assembled to strategize their operations.

According to the police, the  four suspects usually trailed their victims to their destination, especially people  who withdraws  money from  Automated Teller Machines( ATMs), and after  withdrawal the suspects  would  create  the impression of causing their  arrest for some offences and  pretend of sending them to the Police Headquarters.

But on the way, the four suspects would collect whatever amount of money from their suppose arrested victims and abandon them to their fate.

In addition, the policeman and the ex-soldier, who are said to be  the leaders of the gang  do also arrest  some wee-smokers and dealers at the Achimta , where they would   creates the impression of taking them to the Police  station, only to stop along the way and extort money from them.

The four gang, according to the police carry out their terrorism operation on people at Tesano, Madina, the Institute of Professional Studies(IPS),  Adentan, Airport, Dzorwulu and Achimota in the mornings and afternoons.

The police pounced on all the  four suspects when they were about to take off  to their operation  on board a taxi with registration number GE 7537-11, with Agyare and Ato in  their respective  security uniform.

 The ex-soldier allegedly tore off his military uniform as soon as he realized he was closed up by the police detectives at the Achimota Cargo Truck Station where they had assembled to embark on their activities.

Before the four were prepared to face the law in court today, one victim of the gang had since showed up at the Accra Regional Police Command to identify the suspects as those who attacked and succeeded in collecting huge sum of money from him.

The victim alleged the four gang attacked and succeeded in collecting an amount of GH¢1,160 and a motorbike from him at the Achimota transport terminal after he had withdrawn money from the ATM at a bank.

The Police investigation had since proven that Iddrisu was discharged from the Ghana Air Force on September 16, 2007 and that he was no longer a serving officer.