11 robbers busted

With the assistance of the youth in the neighbourhood, Paul Owusu was arrested

The Accra Regional Police Command has arrested 11 hardened armed robbers from two separate robbery groups that used to terrorize residents of Airport, East Legon, Haatso, Baatsona, Sakumono, Madina and Nungua.

The groups, which are led by 23-year-old Wise Grey aka Biggy or Diamond, and Eric Yaw Ahenkora aka Paa Dogo, 23, according to the Regional Commander DCOP Rose Bio Atinga, have been involved in series of robberies in Accra.

While five members of Dogo's group, including himself, are in the grips of the police, four of Biggy's men, including himself and a budding TV star, Richard Cobbina aka Shaka Zulu, are in police custody.

The members of Dogo's group, including himself, are Isaac Obeng Owusu aka Burger, 24; Paul Bortey aka Children, 20; Frank Agorku aka Frank Nero, 19; Roland Hayford aka Paa Kweku Medor, 29; and Stephen Numekpe aka Volta King, 25.

Biggy's group included himself; Paul Owusu (imprisoned), Richard Cobbina aka Shaka Zulu, 31; Abass Baba Richard, 25; Emmanuel Mensah Nkansah aka Capito, 45; and Richard Tetteh aka Anold, 21.

DCOP Atinga told pressmen that between February and July 2010, a gang of armed robbers had been terrorizing people at East Legon, Madina, Mempeasem, Otana, Adjiriganor, Baatsona and Spintex Road, robbing residents of laptops, computers, money, mobile phones, wrist watches etc.

Upon a tip-off on August 15, 2010, the Accra Regional Police Command conducted a swoop at the suspects' hideout at Nungua, where a number of them were arrested.

When Frank Agorku of Paa Dogo's gang was searched, three local pistols with six rounds of ammunition of BB cartridges, a Dell laptop computer, four wristwatches and two mobile phones were found in a bag in his possession.

During interrogation, Frank Agorku admitted that the guns were supplied by his ring leader, Paa Dogo.

Paa Dogo told police that he got the guns from one Ottoo aka Killer, who is on the run.

According to Police investigations, Paa Dogo's gang attacked some victims at Madina, East Legon-Mempeasem, Otana, Adjiriganor, Baatsona and Spintex Road and robbed them of 9 laptops worth about GH₵ 12,000, 13 mobile phones, and 4 wristwatches valued at GH₵ 120.00 and an unspecified amount of money.

On August 13, 2010, Isaac Obeng Owusu aka Burger (of Paa Dogo's gang), Ayaa, Aklika, Scarrow and Ottoo aka Killer robbed a three-storey building at Tema Community 18. Burger was identified by the victims when arrested. The rest are still on the run and are on the police wanted list.

The six (Dogo's gang), in their caution statements, confessed to committing series of armed robberies in the Accra Metropolis and have since been identified by victims during an identification parade at the Accra Regional Police Headquarters.

Earlier on July 11, 2010, the Accra Regional Police Command got information that Richard Tetteh, a member of Biggy's gang, was at the Accra Railway Station.

The police succeeded in arresting Richard, who had a knapsack in his possession. When the bag was searched, an Acer Laptop computer, two locally made pistols and four live cartridges were found.

Upon interrogation, the notorious armed robber admitted being a member of a gang who robbed some people at Dansoman the previous night, and that the laptop was his share of the booty.

Further questioning led to Biggy's arrest, who also assisted the police in arresting Emmanuel Mensah Nkansah, the gang chief driver, and eventually Francis Addo at Nungua.

These suspects were the bandits that trailed victims from the Kotoka International Airport to their various destinations.

On April 17,2010, at about 12.15pm, Biggy and his accomplices robbed Vincent Kwame Osei Appiah, an electrical engineer, of his Toyota Corolla with registration number GE 1040 -10, changed the number to GE 8793 - 09 on April 20, 2010 and used the car to trail two British nationals who came to Ghana to launch an NGO called Raleigh International Ghana.

These gangsters trailed their victims from the Kotoka international Airport to a hotel in Cantonments.

They succeeded in robbing them of everything in their possession but in an attempt to escape, the vehicle veered off the road onto the pavement and had two of its tyres destroyed.

They then seized a Nissan Sentra with registration number GE 1914 - 10 from Fiona Laryea, a staff of a bank, at gun point; which they used to escape.

On June 4, 2010, at about 2: 15am, Biggy and his accomplices again attacked Anthony Pappoe and robbed him of his unlicensed black Chevrolet saloon car. Police arrested Biggy and managed to retrieve the Chevrolet from Kumasi.

On June 6, 2010, the same gang robbed a Hotel at Dome. They robbed the victims of their laptops.

Earlier, on March 30, 2009, Biggy's gang robbed a pregnant woman of her Nissan Pathfinder at East Legon.

They again trailed two Ghanaians who had returned from abroad from K1A lo their residence in Sukula, a suburb of Accra, ordered them at gun point and forcibly dispossessed them of everything they had.

These same robbers, on June 23, 2009, together with three others, namely Abass Baba Richard, Shaka Zulu, Paul Owusu (now in prison custody at Nsawam) and one Gladstone, attacked a Nigerian businessman resident at Spintex Road, and robbed him of GH₵20,000 and five laptop computers.

However, with the assistance of the youth in the neighbourhood, Paul Owusu was arrested.

Biggy also assisted the police to arrest Abass Baba Richard and Shaka Zulu. They all admitted and confessed their involvement in a series of robberies in the Accra metropolis. Meanwhile, efforts are being made to arrest Gladstone.

The regional commander has sent a word of caution to persons involved in violent crimes such as armed robberies to desist from the act or risk being arrested to face the full rigours of the law.

"They can always run but cannot hide forever." she said.