Officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Eastern Regional Police Headquarters in Koforidua have visited Oborpah a farming Community in Lower Manya Krobo where two fuel filling stations were attacked by armed robbers.
The visit to the scene is to help provide the Odumase police command with technical assistance to help investigate the incident for the arrest of the suspects.
A three masked robbery gang wielding pistols invaded the two fuel stations to rob them.
The robbers first strangulated a driver’s mate sleeping under a truck parked at Safety Filling station after they mistook him for a security man on duty.
The robbers attacked the Safety fuel filling station then later leaped to Pacific Filling stations which are few meters apart and closer to a Police checkpoint on the road and made away with a total amount of over Ghc21,000. The robbers who were on foot fled into the bush before Police came to the scenes.
Dade mantse of Oborpah Nene Agbertey Tetteh lamented that due to failure by the owners of the filling stations and limestone truck drivers to foster effective collaboration with the community they could not call for immediate help from the community to chase the robbers.
He said the youth in the community has helped arrest suspected thieves and cattle rustlers at night in previous incidents.
The attack on the fuel filling station comes exactly a week after a fuel filling station at Asenema near Adukrom Akuapem was similarly attacked by armed robbers who made away with GHC 1,200.
The Eastern Region has recorded high cases of highway robberies this year leading to fatalities, injuries and lost monies, and personal effects.
As a result, the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr. George Akuffo Dampare has deployed 126 troops of the Anti-Armed Robbery Squad (AARS) to the Eastern Region to clamp down on rampant robbery activities.
The AARS special force is to augment the capacity and capabilities of the Eastern Regional police command to deal with the menace.
The contingent is led by Commissioner of Police (COP) Mr. Christian Tetteh Yohonu and assisted by the Director-General of Operations, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mr. Mohammed Fuseini Suraji.
However, the Anti-Armed Robbery squad deployed to the Eastern region came under attack by highway robbers on Akyem Ettukrom to Bunso highway.
The robbers allegedly wielding AK47 were on the road Tuesday, August 17, 2021, at dawn to rob commuters.
The robbers upon seeing the Police Bus transporting the personnel to their Operational areas opened fire on the bus which the police quickly retaliated.
The gunfire exchange lasted for few minutes but the robbers fled into the bush after some sustained injuries.
The Police personnel combed the area and mounted a search in the bush and nearby houses and some health facilities but could not find the suspects.
Police retrieved five spent shells of AK 47 rifle at the scene.
The scene was the exact area two highway robbers – Haruna Amadu, 25, and Joseph Nyira, 25 were arrested on June 5, 2021, after killing a trader in a robbery attack on the road with their accomplices at large.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah
