Police foil robbery gang, two dead, four arrested in Upper East

A special intelligence team of the Ghana Police Service has dismantled a robbery gang linked to a series of violent attacks in the Upper East Region following an intelligence-led operation on April 29.

The suspects, identified as Awudu Kasim, Malik Baako, Mohammed Amidu, and Wadud Abdul, were arrested at their hideout at Zuarungu.

A press release copied to the Ghana News Agency named two deceased suspects as Samsudeen Mohammed and Seidu Safianu. It said a search conducted at the hideout led to the retrieval of a G3 rifle loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition, concealed in the storage compartment of a motorbike believed to have been stolen by Samsudeen and an accomplice known as DJ, who is currently at large.

Police also retrieved seven additional motorbikes suspected to be stolen. During interrogation, the suspects admitted their involvement in several robbery incidents across the region.

These include an attack on February 4 along the Zuarungu to Kongo road, during which a bus driver, Ussif Abdul Razak, sustained gunshot injuries and lost three fingers. They also confessed to attacking a cargo truck driver, Mohammed Ibrahim, on the same stretch.

The suspects further admitted to a robbery at the Kejetia mining site at Gbane on March 28, where a miner, Atani Mark, was robbed of cash and gold, along with other related incidents in the area.

According to the police, the two deceased suspects sustained gunshot injuries during the operation. Their bodies have been deposited at the Police Hospital morgue for preservation and autopsy.

All four suspects are currently in custody assisting with investigations, while efforts are underway to arrest other accomplices, including the suspect identified as DJ.

The Ghana Police Service has assured the public that all persons involved will be apprehended and made to face the full rigours of the law.