Police appeal for information on armed robbers

Accra, Nov. 23, GNA - The Accra Regional Police Command has appealed to the general public for information that could lead to the arrest of three armed robbers who were involved in various armed robberies within the metropolis.

The robbers, whose names were given as Bawa, Razak and Dogy are expected to be hiding in Accra.

The appeal was made during a press briefing by Chief Superintendent Bright Oduro, Accra Regional Crime Officer, at an identification parade of suspected armed robbers on Wednesday in Accra. Out of 27 suspects, consisting of men ranging within the ages of 20 and 50, two, whose identities are being withheld for security reasons were identified.

The men had been arrested within the past week during anti armed robbery operations that were carried out by the police at Chokor and Circle in Accra.

Chief Superintendent Oduro said the Accra Regional Police Command had arrested four armed robbers who had specialized in robbing mobile phone shops in recent times. They are Kennedy Owusu, also known as Chief 30, Salou Abu, aka Slopy 26, Nuhu Suka 29 and Rufai Salifu, 19.

Chief Superintendent Oduro said Owusu, Abu and Suka had been linked to several mobile phone robberies at a number of mobile phone shops in Accra in September and October, adding that these incidents had ceased since their arrest.

Citing instances, he said, the four were believed to have robbed a house at Achimota Tantra on the night of September 11, 2005, where they took about 31,000 dollars, seven million cedis, a quantity of jewellery, 52 assorted mobile phones and 300 assorted watches.

He said at about 1900 hours on September 15 2005, Owusu, Abu and three others now at large namely a suspect known only as Dogy, Razak aka Sexor and Bawa, robbed Phone and Phone City Shop opposite Darkuman Junction in Accra and made off with several pieces of mobile phone worth about 300 million cedis, 45,000 Euro and 500 million cedis. Chief Superintendent Oduro said they took away the shop owner's Mercedis Benz which they abandoned at Bukom.

He said on September 21 2005, Owusu, Bawa and Rufai robbed a mobile phone shop at Madina and took away several mobile phones, a lap top computer, jewellery and a Nissan Primera belonging to the shop owner, which they later abandoned at Maidzor near Asahalley Botwe in Accra.

Chief Superintendent Oduro said Owusu was arrested together with Rufai when the two attempted to rob a mobile shop with locally manufactured pistols at La around 2200 hours. He said Abu was arrested at a hide-out in Kasoa, whilst one Ayana, who was involved in the killing of one Mohamed Issaka during a September shoot-out at Nima is still on the run.

Chief Superintendent Bright Oduro said Nuhu Suka who had been involved in several robberies and had served a two-year prison term for robbery in Sunyani, was arrested when he attacked a woman together with one Bawa on November 13 2005.

He said the two, who were riding on a motor bike, around James Town in Accra, hit the head of the lady with a gun and snatched her hand bag containing 500,000 cedis.

A taxi driver who saw the incident managed to cross the path of the robbers' bike with his vehicle, causing the robbers to fall off their bike after it had hit the taxi.

Chief Superintendent Oduro said although Bawa escaped, Suka was arrested with the help of on-lookers. He said a suspect, whose name was being withheld for security reasons had been arrested for illegally producing locally manufactured pistols suspected to be used by various gangs of armed robbers in the Accra metropolis.