Two suspects in Wassa Akropong bank robbery arrested
The police have arrested two men suspected to be part of a gang of armed robbers who attacked the Upper Amenfi Rural Bank at Jukwa near Wassa Akropong on June 27, 2022.
The suspects, Tahiru Issaka, alias “Red” and Yahuza Mohammed, were arrested at hideouts in two different locations in the Ashanti Region on August 25, 2022.
A statement issued and signed by Chief Superintendent of Police, Grace Ansah-Akrofi, Director of Public Affairs, said one other person, who was shot during the operations and died later, was identified by the two suspects as Gafar Ziyech Abdul, alias “Stone”, the leader of the gang.
It said the suspects and three other accomplices had attacked the Bank on June 27, 2022, disarmed the security guard on duty, assaulted two of the Bank’s staff and made away with an unspecified amount of money and a pump action gun.
The statement said the robbers also shot one other person who attempted to mount a roadblock to prevent them from escaping.
It said when the robbers realised they were being pursued by the police, they set their vehicle ablaze and abandoned it hoping that that would foil attempts by the police to track them.
The statement said the combined effort of the Western, Ashanti and the Bono East Regional Police Intelligence Directorates over an eight-week period led to the arrest of the suspects in the Ashanti Region.
It said the police had so far retrieved four vehicles, including the one that was set ablaze and abandoned by the robbers, a motorbike, two pistols and a quantity of ammunition.
The police commended the intelligence officers in the Western, Ashanti and Bono East Regions for their hard work and collaborative efforts, which had led to the breakthrough in the investigations.
The statement said the two suspects were currently in custody and that “the pursuit of the other accomplices continues.”
“We wish to assure the public that these criminals can run but cannot hide. Wherever they are, we will get them,” it said.
Source: GNA