Cops Grab Gun Dealers

The suspects

THREE UNDERCOVER operations have rid the Ashanti Region of 103 illegal weapons and led to the arrest of four people, the Regional Police Command announced yesterday.

The staggering firearms, including 55 double-barrel guns, 42 single-barrel guns, four locally-made pistols and two foreign revolvers, as well as four butts, 12 'AA' live cartridges and quantities of blacksmith equipment, were displayed at the regional police headquarters.

Speaking at a press briefing, DCOP Augustine Gyening said the seizure of the firearms indicated the number of guns held

by civilians. According to him, the weapons were traced back to two communities in the region and one community in the Brong

Ahafo Region. He mentioned the communities as Fumso in the Adansi North District, Ejisu in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality and Techiman.

According to the police chief, the threat that illegal guns posed to security in the country could not be overstated, appealing to members of the public to cooperate with law enforcement agencies. DCOP Gyening said the latest gun was retrieved from 33-year-old Collins Boadi Bonsu, who attempted to sell a foreign pistol for GH¢2,000 at Golden Tulip in Kumasi on May 22, 2013 around 2:00pm. The suspect was charged with attempting to sell firearm without license.

The regional police commander disclosed that the police arrested Kwadwo Dakanu, 42; John Gadasu, 45; Vincent Detse, 34 and Kwame Agbemator, 50. The suspects, he said, were arrested during a raid at their blacksmith workshops and residences at Fumso, Ejisu and Techiman.

Mr. Gyening maintained that the region was stable despite the recent violent crimes in Kumasi. According to the police commander, it would be erroneous for anybody to suggest that the city was volatile. Meanwhile, the police have stated that

they have arrested four persons suspected to be armed robbers who attempted to beat a policeman at a checkpoint at Dakwadwom.

DCOP Gyening identified the suspects as Daniel Apusiba aka Buffalo, 18, student; Dennis Kwaku Acheampong, 21, electrician; Akwasi Asamoah, 18, student, and 20-year-old Samuel Offei. He stated that the three suspects, after borrowing a locally-made pistol from the fourth suspect, Samuel Offei, hired the services of a vigilant taxi driver from Santase Roundabout with the view to rob fellow students who had organized a function at a popular hotel.

Their plans were revealed by the cabbie who became suspicious of their conduct. They were arrested at the police checkpoint where the pistol concealed in Daniel Apusiba's trousers was retrieved. All the suspects are currently assisting the police in their investigation. DCOP Gyening appealed to the general public to take note of the various securityarrangements instituted in the metropolis.

FROM Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi