The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has shot and killed four persons suspected to be armed robbers who were on the Police wanted list.
One other suspect, who sustained gunshot injuries, is currently receiving treatment at the Bekwai Municipal Hospital, while another member of the gang is on the run and being pursued by the Police.
The four deceased suspects have been identified only as Sampson, popularly known as Sammy Tuga; W.K., an ex-convict and resident of New Edubiase; Daniel, a driver; and Efo, a resident of Fomena.
This was disclosed by the Ashanti South Regional Commander, ACP Joseph Hammond Nyaaba, during a press briefing in Bekwai.
The suspected gang of six is believed to be responsible for numerous armed and highway robbery operations in parts of the Ashanti Region, particularly within the Adansi enclave.
They have been linked to violent attacks on travelers along the Anwiankwanta–Obuasi and Bekwai–Fomena roads.
The gang is also connected to robbery attacks on gold-buying firms, during which several foreigners, including four Chinese nationals, were injured and hospitalized. Large sums of money were stolen from victims at different locations.
On the 10th April, around 1 a.m., the suspects attacked the headquarters of the Adansi Rural Bank at Fomena. They tied up the security guard and sealed his mouth with a cloth before stealing an unspecified amount of money and guns from the bank’s vault.
Unbeknownst to them, the bank’s CCTV system captured their operation, and the footage is being used as evidence.
According to ACP Nyaaba, the Police, acting on intelligence, encountered the suspects during one of their robbery operations at a mining site at Sanfo Aduam.
The gang was traveling in a KIA Picanto taxi cab with registration number WR 650-17 and was armed with guns. Upon seeing the Police, they opened fire, prompting the officers to return fire.
The Regional Commander revealed that the Police retrieved a service AK-47 rifle, which had previously been seized by the suspects during an earlier encounter.
One Police officer is still receiving medical treatment after sustaining gunshot wounds during the gang’s attack.
Items retrieved from the suspects include two pump-action guns, an AK-47 rifle, cartridges, two ID cards, a hand glove, and the taxi cab used in their latest operation.
