Police gun down 3 suspected robbers
Three persons, including a Camerounian, who attempted to rob a businessman at a bank at Opeibea, near the Kotoka International Airport in Accra, were overpowered by the police, who had been keeping surveillance on them.
The suspected armed robbers died when one of them, Akika Christian-Robert, the Camerounian, who was armed with a fully loaded 15-round pistol, drew the gun in an attempt to shoot the policemen, who reacted faster before the suspect could release bullets from his pistol.
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The suspects also had 12 rounds of extra nine-millimetre ammunition loaded in a magazine.
The other two suspected robbers have been identified only as Alhassan and Alhaji.
Alhassan is said to be a hitman who accepts contracts for murder from a businessman based in Kumasi who has been identified only as Hakeem, while Alhaji is said to trail victims and then inform the gang about them.
The acting Director-General of the Public Affairs Directorate of the Ghana Police Service, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mr Kwesi Ofori, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday, said the operation also led to the arrest of two other suspects, Abdul Latif, 47, and Prosper Kokou, 27, who are also said to be connected to the attempted robbery.
Retrieval
The police retrieved the pistol loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition, as well as 12 rounds of nine-millimetre extra ammunition loaded in a magazine.
A policeman who sustained gunshot wounds is currently at the Police Hospital in Accra, while the bodies of the deceased have been taken to the Police Hospital morgue.
The gang is said to be behind a number of robbery incidents, including an attack on a forex bureau operator, from whom it robbed GH¢3 million in December last year, and a number of murder cases under investigations by the police since 2020.
Members of the gang have since been on the police wanted list.
Intelligence
Briefing the Daily Graphic, ACP Mr Ofori said the policemen had laid ambush, following intelligence about a plan by the gang of five to rob a businessman at the bank.
When the police attempted to arrest the suspects, the Camerounian, armed with a pistol, attempted to shoot the policemen, but they acted faster and shot at him.
He said Alhassan and Alhaji attempted to escape while firing at the police, but the police returned fire, resulting in a gun battle, during which the two were hit by bullets and were pronounced dead at the Police Hospital in Accra.
The suspects have been linked to other robberies and murders in Accra and Kumasi over the last one year.
ACP Mr Ofori assured the public of the determination of the police to rid the streets, residential areas and highways throughout the country of robbery.