The Ashanti Regional Police Command has arrested five (5) suspects believed to be part of a criminal syndicate responsible for stealing large sums of cash from parked vehicles across the region.
According to the police, the group operates using two vehicles and strategically targets individuals who have just withdrawn substantial amounts of money from banks.
Providing details at a press conference held at the Regional Police Headquarters on Monday, June 23, the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, DCOP Emmanuel Teye Cudjoe, explained that the suspects typically park one vehicle close to a bank while a member of the group loiters nearby to identify a potential victim.
Once a target is identified, the spotter alerts accomplices positioned in a separate vehicle nearby. They then trail the victim until the person leaves their car unattended, at which point they strike and steal the money.
Using a specific object, the suspects hit the targeted vehicle to force it open from the inside, retrieve the money, and flee in the second car to avoid detection.
Investigations led to the arrest of five suspects who, according to DCOP Cudjoe, have confessed to being part of a larger criminal network. The suspects include Russell Ekenze, 29, a taxi driver; Francis Friday, 49, a politician; and Linus Agwazie, 51, a trader. Police say all five are Nigerian nationals.
Two women, Gifty Ozurumbam and Gladys Ibrahim, were also arrested for allegedly concealing the whereabouts of one of the prime suspects, Cosmas Maduabuchukwu. Cosmas, who sustained gunshot wounds during an attempted arrest, reportedly sought refuge at a drinking bar owned by the two women at Kenyanase.
Police have since impounded two vehicles suspected to have been used in the criminal activities: a gold-coloured Toyota Highlander with registration number GT 2471-14 and a black Toyota Highlander with registration number GX 7124-12, both bearing fake license plates.
DCOP Cudjoe assured the public that police efforts are ongoing to apprehend all members of the syndicate.
“One of the key suspects, Cosmas Maduabuchukwu, sustained a gunshot wound during an attempted arrest and managed to flee. Intelligence data revealed that he sought refuge at a drinking bar in Kenyanase owned by Gifty Ozurumbam and Gladys Ibrahim. These two individuals have since been arrested for obstructing police investigations by failing to disclose the whereabouts of the suspect,” he said.
In a related Development, the Nkawie Divisional Police Command has arrested 29-year-old Williams Ofori Atta at Kukuom in the Ahafo Region. He is accused of murdering 28-year-old Emmanuel Kwabena Boakye.
During interrogation, the suspect allegedly confessed to shooting and killing the victim. A mobile phone believed to belong to the deceased has been retrieved from him as part of the ongoing investigation.
