Monday, August 3, 2009

British-Jamaican fugitive grabbed *Thanks to collaboration between Ghana, British police

Page 3: Daily Graphic, August 3, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
A COLLABORATION between the British police and their Ghanaian counterparts has led to the arrest of a British-Jamaican who escaped from the grips of the law in London.
Tyron Darren Woodhouse, 37, alias Kofi Watts Darws, was arrested last Thursday when his flight touched down at the Kotoka International Airport.
The police in Ghana are currently seeking Tyron’s Ghanaian accomplices who managed to secure him a Ghanaian birth certificate and a passport to facilitate his trip to Ghana.
His birth certificate was issued on April 2, 2008, while his Ghanaian passport, number H2249542, was issued in Accra on June 18, 2008.
Briefing newsmen in Accra at the weekend, the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, DCOP Frank Adu-Poku, said the British police informed the Police Administration in December 2007 that Tyron had been involved in a series of murders in London.
He said the British police informed their Ghanaian counterparts that Tyron was facing trial and that they had information that he was liaising with some Ghanaians to secure a Ghanaian passport to travel to Ghana as a Ghanaian.
DCOP Adu-Poku said to facilitate the deal, Tyron changed his name to Kofi Watts Darws on the passport application form, with Accra Academy as the last school he attended.
He said the police in Ghana then mounted surveillance at the Kotoka International Airport, since Tyron could arrive anytime soon.
He said the police had information that Tyron left London on July 30, 2009 and was heading to Ghana.
DCOP Adu-Poku said a team of policemen was detailed to the airport to effect the suspect’s arrest.

Suspected fraudster arrested again

Page 47: Daily Graphic, August 3, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
LESS than 24 hours after a suspected fraudster, Richard Kumah, 45, had been released on police enquiry bail by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for fraud, he was arrested again by the Accra Regional Police Command for allegedly dealing in fake currency.
The suspect, who had been in custody at the CID Headquarters since July 30, 2009, was arrested at dawn on Saturday, August 1, 2009 after he had been granted the police enquiry bail on Friday, July 31, 2009 for allegedly defrauding an American businessman of more than $86,000.
Kumah was arrested by the Accra Regional Police Command in a special operation led by its Deputy Commander, ACP Christian Tetteh Yohuno, resulting in the retrieval of a trunk load of suspected fake dollars.
An attempt to bribe the police with $5,000 for them to deal with the matter privately was turned down.
Minutes after his arrest at his home at Kisseman in Accra, Kumah used his cell phone to flash a senior police officer (name withheld) for reasons he refused to divulge to the police team.
Unfortunately for the suspect, when the senior officer called, he informed the police team that Kumah was to be put before court on Monday, August 3, 2009 on charges of fraud.
Three of the suspect’s four-by-four vehicles, including a Lincoln Navigator fitted with DVD video systems, were towed to the Accra Regional Police Command, while his two magnificent houses were put under police guard.
Kumah has, however, denied dealing in fake currency, alleging that the trunk load of dollars, which is estimated to be more than $10 million, belonged to a deceased Alhaji.
One of the bundles which the Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Rose Bio Atinga, showed to the newsmen bore the same serial number, AB 91022272.
All the bills in the trunk were $100 bills. Pieces of paper cut to the size of the dollar bills were also stashed in between some of the fake bills.
Briefing newsmen in Accra on Saturday, DCOP Atinga said the police had intelligence that the suspect dealt in fake currency.
She said ACP Yohuno worked on the intelligence and when it was affirmed that it was genuine, the police decided to strike about 4 a.m. on Saturday, August 1, 2009.
She said the trunk load of fake dollars was hidden among lorry tyres and other accoutrements in a corner of the suspect’s house.
She expressed concern over the activities of fake currency dealers, as they posed serious economic challenges to the Ghanaian economy.
She explained that apart from causing inflationary tendencies in the economy, dealers in fake currency tended to drive away genuine investors for fear of being defrauded.
DCOP Atinga appealed to members of the public to always visit accredited forex bureaux for their foreign exchange transactions, instead of going to the black market.
ACP Yohuno urged Ghanaians who wanted to make money to engage in genuine businesses and not fake currency, drugs or other criminal activities.
He said anytime inflation went up, Ghanaians turned around to blame the government in power but said it was through the nefarious activities of fake currency dealers and money launderers that the economy suffered.
He appealed to members of the public to assist the police with information on any suspicious dealings of persons within their communities to enable the police to investigate their backgrounds.
On the suspect’s fraud case at the CID Headquarters, the Head of the Vetting and Criminal Intelligence Analysis (VCIA) of the CID, Superintendent Dennis Akob Abade, told the Daily Graphic that Kumah, who is the Chief Executive of Riandre Mining Ltd, promised to provide gold for his unsuspecting victim, Mr Richard Gallman, the Chief Executive and President of Amerigold Universal Outreach Incorporated.
He said after making his victim to part with more than $86,000, Kumah started playing hide and seek with him.
According to Supt Abade, Kumah was arrested following investigations into a complaint lodged by the victim.

Four robbers nabbed

Page 47: Daily Graphic, August 3, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
FOUR suspected armed robbers were arrested last Saturday night after their abortive armed robbery operation at Tantra Hill in Accra.
The four, Kingsley Asante, 19, Kojo Panyin Poku, 20, Kojo Kakra Poku, 20, and Emmanuel Chaka, are currently at the Accra Regional Police Headquarters.
A fifth suspect, identified only as Tinko, died from gunshot wounds after he had jumped from the vehicle in which they were being taken to the Kwabenya Police Station and shot at the police to escape arrest.
The abortive robbery, which was an initiative of Asante, was to have been executed on his father, identified as Mr Ennin Sefa, a pharmacist.
Asante was alleged to have asked Tinko to mobilise some persons to attack his (Asante’s) father for allegedly neglecting his responsibilities to good care for him (Asante) after Mr Sefa divorced Asante’s mother five years ago.
Briefing the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday, the Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Rose Bio Atinga, said about 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 1, 2009, the police/military patrol team stopped a taxi which was being used by the five suspected robbers around Dome in Accra for interrogation.
She said a search on the vehicle showed that the occupants had hidden machetes, a knife and a club in the boot of the taxi.
She said Asante allegedly confessed to asking Tinko to mobilise people to rob Mr Sefa at Tantra Hill.
DCOP Atinga said the police then decided to take the suspects to the Kwabenya Police Station to be detained for further questioning.
Unknown to the police, Tinko, who had hidden a pistol in his pants, pulled out the gun and started shooting at the police in a bid to escape arrest.
The regional commander said Tinko died from bullet wounds he sustained from the police as he tried to escape.
She said Asante and his other accomplices confirmed that it was his idea that they should rob Mr Sefa.
She said upon reaching Mr Sefa’s house at Tantra Hill, the robbers decided that they should beat a retreat.
DCOP Atinga said it was on their way back that the police/military team intercepted them at Dome.

HORRIFIC * Man, 40, kills brother, 25, for ritual purposes

Front Page: Daily Graphic, August 1, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Techiman Police are holding a 40-year-old farmer for allegedly murdering his 25-year-old brother for ritual purposes.
Weah Kontomah Seidu, the suspect, butchered his victim, Tang Dery, decapitated him and kept parts on the body on the farm for rituals.
The arrest of Seidu, who has been remanded into police custody, was triggered by the discovery of his 15-year-old daughter, Doris Zumori, in one of the waste bins placed by Zoomlion Ghana Ltd at Deasempa, a suburb of Techiman, with several machete wounds inflicted on her.
Confirming the incident to the Daily Graphic, the Techiman Municipal Police Commander, Superintendent Steve Ntim, said a woman who had gone to dump refuse in the waste container at Deasempa on Saturday, July 25, 2009 found Doris severely butchered and in excruciating pain.
He said the woman raised an alarm, resulting in neighbours going out to assist in rushing Doris to the Holy Family Hospital in the municipality for medical attention.
He said while the police were following up at the hospital, the deceased’s two brothers reported to the police that Dery had not returned from the farm at Aworopata, near Techiman, the previous day, July 24, 2009 with his elder brother Seidu.
Supt Ntim said after receiving some treatment at the hospital, Doris told the police that it was her father who had inflicted machete wounds on her after she had asked of the deceased’s whereabouts.
According to the police boss, Doris said she was surprised not to have seen the deceased after her father had returned from the farm alone.
He said at the police station, the two other brothers of deceased also told the police that the deceased had not returned from the farm with Seidu and, therefore, they suspected that the suspect could have killed him after they heard that the suspect had attempted to murder his daughter.
Based on that, he said, Seidu was arrested and, upon interrogation, he allegedly admitted killing Dery.
Supt Ntim said Seidu then took the police to the farm where Dery’s bicycle, mobile phone and other farm accessories were found.
He said the suspect then took the police to a palm tree where he had placed Dery’s head on the palm frond, while the decapitated body was lying close by.
He said when Seidu was interrogated, he claimed he was preserving the head to take to Lawra in the Upper West Region for ritual purposes to seek protection.

Suspected robber killed in shoot-out

Page 3: Daily Graphic, August 1, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
AN exchange of fire between four suspected armed robbers and a police/military patrol team at Kasoa has resulted in the death of one of the robbers.
The three others managed to escape.
A pistol and a cutlass were retrieved from the scene of the robbery.
Briefing newsmen in Accra today, the Accra Regional Crime Officer, Superintendent Emmanuel Frank Adufati said the police/military team at Amanfrom were informed that four suspected armed robbers had attacked some persons at gun-point at Kasoa.
He said the robbers had collected GH¢80 and a CD walkman player from their victims, who were traders in fanmilk products.
He said not satisfied with what they got from their first victims, the suspected armed robbers entered a house with the view of robbing the occupants.
According to Supt. Adufati, because the police/military team was right on time, the suspected robbers could not rob the occupants of the house.
He said the robbers, rather opened fire at the police/military team with the view of escaping.
Supt. Adufati said one of the robbers was hit by a bullet resulting in his instant death.
The body of the deceased, he said, had been deposited at the Police Hospital Mortuary.

Let President's commendation inspire us - IGP

Page 21: Daily Graphic, August 1, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, has challenged personnel of the Ghana Police Service to be motivated by the thumbs-up given them by President John Evans Atta Mills to step up the fight against violent crime in the country.
He said they should be encouraged by that special commendation to do better to improve upon the safety and security of the people so as to earn them the applause of the ordinary man in the street.
Mr Quaye was addressing the weekly IGP Parade at the Police Headquarters in Accra as part of measures to check the punctuality and smart turn-out of personnel to work.
The IGP said he and the entire leadership of the Police Administration would provide them with the right leadership to ensure that they sustain and improve upon the good work done so far.
He said the responsibility of the leadership of the service was to help regain public confidence in the police and also redeem the sunken image of the police.
That, he said, required that personnel display exemplary qualities through professionalism, commitment and dedication to the task the state had engaged them to do.
Mr Quaye said the re-training of personnel to improve upon their practical policing to serve the public was currently underway.
He said every police man and woman would have his or her turn to sharpen their skills to enable them serve the public better.
A number of police personnel the Daily Graphic spoke to, said the commendation by the President was most heart-warming and motivating to perform better.
While inaugurating the Police Council at the Castle, Osu on Tuesday, President John Evans Atta Mills applauded the Ghana Police Service and expressed his admiration for the courage and sacrifices being exhibited by the officers and men of the service in confronting violent crime in the country
He said he was satisfied with the measures being taken by the Police Administration to deal with crime, particularly armed robbery, and reiterated his determination to ensure that the security services were well equipped to enable them to fight vices in society and safeguard the interests and welfare of the people.

Police arrest car-snatching syndicate member

Page 64: Daily Graphic, July 31, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Kintampo Police have arrested a welder at Kintampo after he had been named as a partner in car-snatching deals in Accra.
Kofi Baffour was arrested after his brother, George Kofi Adu, alias “My People”, had been arrested by some members of the public at the ABC Accra-Lagos Station at Kokomlemle in Accra on Wednesday.
Baffour is alleged to be the agent for snatched cars at Kintampo.
Adu was arrested when a passer-by, who saw two pistols in Adu’s pockets raised an alarm, which attracted other people.
When a police patrol team whisked him to the Accra Regional Police Headquarters, Adu confessed to having snatched four cars between April and May this year, together with his friend, whom he identified as German Owusu.
Adu confessed to usually getting their victims drunk before taking the vehicles away from them.
He was identified by two police officers as having been present during an identification parade at the Regional Police Headquarters last week.
He admitted to snatching four cars, two Nissan Primeras in Accra, including that of his friend, whom he named as Paa Kwesi, and two Tico taxis at Nkawkaw.
The Deputy Accra Regional Police Commander, ACP Christian Tetteh Yohuno, told the Daily Graphic that the police had a distress call that an armed robber had been arrested at the ABC Accra-Lagos bus terminal.
He said a police patrol team rushed to the scene where it rescued Adu from the mob and also managed to foil an attempt by some motorbike riders to whisk Adu away.
ACP Yohuno said during interrogation, Adu mentioned his friend, Owusu, who is a tyler, as his accomplice and claimed that they sold each of the Nissan Primeras for GH¢3,200, while the Tico cars were sold at GH¢2,500 each.