Same Adabraka jewelry shop robbed twice this year - Residents

It is the second time the same jewelry shop at Adabraka in Accra is experiencing an armed robbery attack this year, some residents have told Graphic Online.

On Saturday, November 2, the Adabraka Market in Accra was rocked by a daring daylight robbery that took place right in front of stunned residents.

Four armed and masked men targeted a man in a red Toyota Corolla at the bustling market.

Witnesses reported that the robbers approached the vehicle with their guns drawn, immediately firing multiple shots into the air to scatter the crowd.

WATCH VIDEO ABOVE

CCTV footage shared on social media showed the moment the robbers pounced on the vehicle and took the sacks of money away from the boot of the Toyota Corolla.

Shoppers and vendors rushed for cover, ducking behind shops and seeking safety as the gunfire rang out across the market.

The robbers quickly forced their way into the Toyota, seizing large sacks of cash stored inside.

In just minutes, they loaded the bags into their getaway vehicle and fled the scene, continuing to fire shots to keep bystanders at a distance.

An eyewitness recounted, “We deal in gold here, and we heard a loud noise, and we realised it was a sporadic shooting. I can’t even talk, I’m surprised, we hid and locked our gate, but they didn’t come to our end. We heard them saying open the boot and we saw them carrying bags of money from some of the shops. They spent some few minutes.”

Another eyewitness also said, “There are several gold dealer shops here, so one of the owners of the shops had bags containing monies in his Toyota Corolla, immediately he landed, the robbers approached the car and took the money away. This is the second time such an incident has happened. The police came in late, by the time they arrived, the armed robbers had bolted away with the bags of money in their Toyota Highlander. They fired multiple gunshots. They spread some money in the air to distract onlookers’ attention and scare them away.”

The robbery was captured on video by onlookers and soon spread on social media, showing the gunmen’s swift, coordinated movements and the terror that swept through the market.

Getaway vehicle tracked 

The next day on Sunday, the vehicle involved in the robbery incident was identified and tracked to Ashaiman in Greater Accra.

Images of the Toyota Highlander, with registration number GN 7357-19, leaving the crime scene at Adabraka was tracked to Ashaiman.

The vehicle's route included stops at the Sunny FM, Shiashie, Accra Mall, and Accra Mall Roundabout, before heading through Ashaiman Zenu.

On Saturday, the police announced that they are intensifying efforts to locate the armed gang responsible for the robbery at jewelry shop at Adabraka on Saturday (Nov 2), which left one person injured.

In a statement, the police said they were on a manhunt for the gang."

"We would like to assure the public that we will surely get them and bring them to face justice," it added. 

The robbery incident involved four armed and masked men who targeted a man in a red Toyota Corolla, parked near the bustling Adabraka market.

Eyewitnesses reported that the robbers approached the vehicle with their guns drawn, immediately firing multiple shots into the air to scatter the crowd.

Shoppers and vendors rushed for cover, ducking behind shops and seeking safety as the gunfire rang out across the market.

The robbers quickly forced their way into the Toyota, seizing large sacks of cash which had just been packed in the boot.

Three days later

Three days after the incident, Graphic Online visited the area and some residents in the Adabraka community said they were living in fear after the daylight armed robbery at Cabest Jewelry shop.

Some residents told Graphic Online's Gertrude Ankah that it was the second attack on the Cabest jewelry store within four months.

An eyewitness, Sajiah Yervo said: "I heard the shots, at least ten, one after another. I thought that with the police station just few minute's walk away, we would be safe. But are we safe? I don't think so." 

Abdul Karim Zakari, a member of the local unit committee said: "This is not the first time..., Our community has been suffering from recurring crimes, and we don't feel safe," he added.

He stressed, "Our area is becoming 'Gold City,' where each and every shop is targeted. Who knows what will happen next if we don't have better protection?"