Page 20: Daily Graphic, June 29, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Operations Department of the Ghana Police Service has stepped up its fight against armed robbery and residential crimes with the setting up of tent cities in selected residential areas.
An initiative of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, the tent cities are to serve as a first point of call by residents to relay information on suspected criminal activities or suspicious characters within those areas.
Each of the tent cities will be provided with a telephone number to serve the communities and reduce time of response to distress calls.
Already the tent cities have been mounted at East Legon, Achimota Golf Club and Dzorwulu while other areas such as Taifa, Dansoman, Dome Pillar II and Awoshie were being considered depending on the co-operation of the residents to the citing of the cities there.
The Director of Operations, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Richmond Nii Boi-Bi-Boi, told the Daily Graphic that the officers on duty at the tent cities would relay any information to the patrol teams within their vicinities.
He said members of the communities in which the tent cities would be located should visit the tent cities to interact with the personnel and share relevant information with them.
As part of the tent cities initiative, special day patrol exercises have been started to beef up security presence especially in crime prone areas.
In the medium term, a Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) team of police personnel are being trained to perform high-risk operations that are beyond the abilities of regular officers, including serving high-risk arrest warrants, barricading suspects, hostage rescue, counter-terrorism, and engaging heavily-armed criminals among other duties.
SWAT teams are often equipped with special firearms including assault rifles, submachine guns, shotguns, carbines, riot control agents, stun grenades, and high-powered rifles for snipers.
They have special equipment including heavy body armour, entry tools, armoured vehicles, advanced night vision optics, and motion detectors for covertly determining the positions of hostages or hostage takers inside an enclosed structure.
A fleet of vehicles have also been released to the police by the National Security Council Secretariat to augment the capacity of the security agencies to combat armed robbery.
There is also intelligence sharing between the police and the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) to help build a crime database.
ACP Boi-Bi-Boi said the tent cities would serve as local rallying points for police operations especially in the night where the police/military patrol team might not be immediately available.
He said those who patronised the tents would be provided with security tips on how to protect themselves and their property against armed robbery.
He said the tent city idea would be started in Accra with the view of spreading it out to other communities.
ACP Boi-Bi-Boi appealed to the communities in which the tent cities would be cited to co-operate with the personnel and not to see their presence as intimidatory, adding that “we are targeting criminals and not innocent people”.
He said as part of their duties, the personnel would be available to provide security talks to churches and schools in the vicinities in which they are located.
He said those on the specialised day patrols would be visiting houses and work places to interact with those they meet to discuss their security concerns.
ACP Boi-Bi-Boi said the confidentiality of informants were guaranteed and urged any informant whose identity was blown by any police officer to call on the District, Divisional or Regional Commanders to lodge a complaint against the said officer.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Police grab six armed robbers
Front Page: Daily Graphic, June 29, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
A SWIFT response by the police to a distress call from the Goil Filling Station at Tantra Hill in Accra yesterday led to the arrest of six armed robbers who had attacked the filling station about 8 a.m.
Three of the robbers were arrested in the melee of the robbery.
They are Emmanuel Dawutey, a mason who was arrested in a bush with a pump action gun and a pistol, Isaac Cobbinah, 24, a bicycle repairer, and Selorm Hafe, 24, a labourer.
Three others, including a security man at the filling station, were later arrested in their homes at Tantra Hill.
They are John Salifu, the security man, Frank Sabree, 24, who is alleged to have mobilised the robbers after Salifu had discussed the robbery of the station with him, and John Atta Ganaah, 32.
Two others, identified only as Rocky and Roger, however, escaped and are believed to have bolted with the money.
The Station Manager of the filling station and the Head of Security there, Mr Patrick Abakah and WOI Jacob Donkor (retd), respectively, who were hit with metals by the robbers, were rushed to the 37 Military Hospital for treatment.
The Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Rose Bio Atinga, supported by the Director of Operations at the Police Headquarters, ACP Richmond Boi-Bi-Boi, and the Deputy Regional Commander, ACP Christian Yohuno, told newsmen in Accra yesterday that following the receipt of the distress call, the police informed all police day patrol teams about it.
She said the Tesano District Commander, ASP Theodore Hlormenu, and his Mile Seven counterpart, ASP Simon Agbodeka, responded swiftly to the crime scene.
According to her, about six different patrol teams also joined in the chase of the armed robbers.
DCOP Atinga said the arresting team pursued the robbers towards Dome where the robbers’ vehicle ran into a ditch.
That, she said, led to the arrest of Selorm and Isaac, while the others escaped.
She said with the help of residents of Dome Pillar II, Dawutey was arrested in the bush after firing warning shots to keep the police away from arresting him.
She said the police later picked up intelligence that John, the security man at the filling station, who had gone for night duties, relayed the information to the robbers to attack because the station manager and the head of security were counting the sales for the night.
Story: Albert K. Salia
A SWIFT response by the police to a distress call from the Goil Filling Station at Tantra Hill in Accra yesterday led to the arrest of six armed robbers who had attacked the filling station about 8 a.m.
Three of the robbers were arrested in the melee of the robbery.
They are Emmanuel Dawutey, a mason who was arrested in a bush with a pump action gun and a pistol, Isaac Cobbinah, 24, a bicycle repairer, and Selorm Hafe, 24, a labourer.
Three others, including a security man at the filling station, were later arrested in their homes at Tantra Hill.
They are John Salifu, the security man, Frank Sabree, 24, who is alleged to have mobilised the robbers after Salifu had discussed the robbery of the station with him, and John Atta Ganaah, 32.
Two others, identified only as Rocky and Roger, however, escaped and are believed to have bolted with the money.
The Station Manager of the filling station and the Head of Security there, Mr Patrick Abakah and WOI Jacob Donkor (retd), respectively, who were hit with metals by the robbers, were rushed to the 37 Military Hospital for treatment.
The Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Rose Bio Atinga, supported by the Director of Operations at the Police Headquarters, ACP Richmond Boi-Bi-Boi, and the Deputy Regional Commander, ACP Christian Yohuno, told newsmen in Accra yesterday that following the receipt of the distress call, the police informed all police day patrol teams about it.
She said the Tesano District Commander, ASP Theodore Hlormenu, and his Mile Seven counterpart, ASP Simon Agbodeka, responded swiftly to the crime scene.
According to her, about six different patrol teams also joined in the chase of the armed robbers.
DCOP Atinga said the arresting team pursued the robbers towards Dome where the robbers’ vehicle ran into a ditch.
That, she said, led to the arrest of Selorm and Isaac, while the others escaped.
She said with the help of residents of Dome Pillar II, Dawutey was arrested in the bush after firing warning shots to keep the police away from arresting him.
She said the police later picked up intelligence that John, the security man at the filling station, who had gone for night duties, relayed the information to the robbers to attack because the station manager and the head of security were counting the sales for the night.
Ghana marks Day Against Drug Abuse
Page 16: Daily Graphic, June 27, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THIS year's International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking has been marked, with a call on the government not to be content with successes in the enforcement field, to the neglect of other key sectors of the drug war.
The Chief Psychiatrist of the Ministry of Health, Dr Akwasi Osei, who made the call in a keynote address, said effective drug control had three components, namely, law enforcement, demand reduction and the effective treatment and rehabilitation of people indulging in drug abuse.
The celebration, which was on the theme, "Do Drugs Control Your Life? Illicit Drug Trafficking", attracted a large audience of students to the Holy Gardens in Accra where it was held.
To effectively address the challenges of the drug menace, Dr Osei reiterated the need for the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) to be raised to that of an independent commission adequately resourced with both human beings and logistics.
He explained that the functional location of the board at the Ministry of the Interior made it impossible for it to execute all those three functions effectively.
He said it was inconceivable for an agency to be given more resources than its sector ministry, hence the need to make the commission independent of any ministry.
"Such a commission will then relate to the respective agencies like the Ministry of the Interior for supply reduction, the Ministry of Health for demand reduction and the research institutes for the research component. The commission will then serve as a co-ordinating body. This is urgent if we are to see our country make any progress towards being on top our drug situation," he stated.
According to Dr Osei, raising the status of NACOB into a commission would also mean modifying the current drug law.
He also recommended the establishment of a National Drug Abuse Centre to become a one-stop shop of all information on drugs in the country, including medical, legal, research findings and any other information relevant to drugs.
He further called for a comprehensive national drug policy to spell out not only the illicit drugs but even which psychoactive drugs to be made available, in what quantities, who could possess, purchase and use them, among others.
He reminded Ghanaians that it had not become difficult to tag a country as a purely producer country, distributor country or transit country and cited Ghana as an example of a country which was becoming a user country.
He noted, for instance, that the Accra Psychiatric Hospital recorded 876 cases of drug use, representing an increase of 70 cases over the previous year’s figure.
Dr Osei said winning the drug war also meant appreciating the fact that drug abuse was an issue of mental health, for which reason the Mental Health Bill must be passed, just as the Tobacco Bill.
He said Ghanaians must remember that tobacco and alcohol were gateway drugs for narcotics and expressed regret that the country did not even have a national alcohol policy.
The Executive Secretary of NACOB, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Robert Ayalingo, in a welcoming address, noted that the magnitude and the rising trend in illicit production, demand for and traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances posed serious threats to the health and welfare of human beings and adversely affected the economic, cultural and political stability of every society.
He said a more worrying situation was the exploitation by drug traffickers of various social groups to traffick in or abuse narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, particularly children who were being used in many parts of the world as drug couriers and consumers.
"In Ghana today, drug abuse has ceased to be an urbanisation issue but a nation-wide canker eating deeper and deeper into the fabric of our society. Drug consumption has become so rampant in almost every educational institution in Ghana, filtering down from tertiary institutions to the junior high schools in the country," he said, adding that "indiscipline at home, in schools, in society are all products of drug abuse".
A former Executive Secretary of NACOB, Colonel Isaac K. Akuoku (retd), who launched the celebration on behalf of the Interior Minister, admonished the youth to stay away from drugs before drugs controlled their lives.
He urged them to stay close to their books, since education offered a much better and fulfilling life.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THIS year's International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking has been marked, with a call on the government not to be content with successes in the enforcement field, to the neglect of other key sectors of the drug war.
The Chief Psychiatrist of the Ministry of Health, Dr Akwasi Osei, who made the call in a keynote address, said effective drug control had three components, namely, law enforcement, demand reduction and the effective treatment and rehabilitation of people indulging in drug abuse.
The celebration, which was on the theme, "Do Drugs Control Your Life? Illicit Drug Trafficking", attracted a large audience of students to the Holy Gardens in Accra where it was held.
To effectively address the challenges of the drug menace, Dr Osei reiterated the need for the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) to be raised to that of an independent commission adequately resourced with both human beings and logistics.
He explained that the functional location of the board at the Ministry of the Interior made it impossible for it to execute all those three functions effectively.
He said it was inconceivable for an agency to be given more resources than its sector ministry, hence the need to make the commission independent of any ministry.
"Such a commission will then relate to the respective agencies like the Ministry of the Interior for supply reduction, the Ministry of Health for demand reduction and the research institutes for the research component. The commission will then serve as a co-ordinating body. This is urgent if we are to see our country make any progress towards being on top our drug situation," he stated.
According to Dr Osei, raising the status of NACOB into a commission would also mean modifying the current drug law.
He also recommended the establishment of a National Drug Abuse Centre to become a one-stop shop of all information on drugs in the country, including medical, legal, research findings and any other information relevant to drugs.
He further called for a comprehensive national drug policy to spell out not only the illicit drugs but even which psychoactive drugs to be made available, in what quantities, who could possess, purchase and use them, among others.
He reminded Ghanaians that it had not become difficult to tag a country as a purely producer country, distributor country or transit country and cited Ghana as an example of a country which was becoming a user country.
He noted, for instance, that the Accra Psychiatric Hospital recorded 876 cases of drug use, representing an increase of 70 cases over the previous year’s figure.
Dr Osei said winning the drug war also meant appreciating the fact that drug abuse was an issue of mental health, for which reason the Mental Health Bill must be passed, just as the Tobacco Bill.
He said Ghanaians must remember that tobacco and alcohol were gateway drugs for narcotics and expressed regret that the country did not even have a national alcohol policy.
The Executive Secretary of NACOB, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Robert Ayalingo, in a welcoming address, noted that the magnitude and the rising trend in illicit production, demand for and traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances posed serious threats to the health and welfare of human beings and adversely affected the economic, cultural and political stability of every society.
He said a more worrying situation was the exploitation by drug traffickers of various social groups to traffick in or abuse narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, particularly children who were being used in many parts of the world as drug couriers and consumers.
"In Ghana today, drug abuse has ceased to be an urbanisation issue but a nation-wide canker eating deeper and deeper into the fabric of our society. Drug consumption has become so rampant in almost every educational institution in Ghana, filtering down from tertiary institutions to the junior high schools in the country," he said, adding that "indiscipline at home, in schools, in society are all products of drug abuse".
A former Executive Secretary of NACOB, Colonel Isaac K. Akuoku (retd), who launched the celebration on behalf of the Interior Minister, admonished the youth to stay away from drugs before drugs controlled their lives.
He urged them to stay close to their books, since education offered a much better and fulfilling life.
Friday, June 26, 2009
DRUG BARON GRABBED * In joint effort with the USA and Togo
Front Page: Daily Graphic, June 26, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
A COSTA RICAN businessman, described as the baron of the drug trade in West and South Africa, has been picked in a joint effort by anti-narcotic agencies in Ghana, the USA and Togo.
William Zabieh, 49, is said to be the mastermind of the major narcotic landings in Ghana, Togo, Guinea and South Africa over the past seven years and officials in Accra described his arrest as a major breakthrough in the fight against illicit drugs in West Africa.
He was extradited on June 19, 2009 on board a Delta airline flight 167 at the Kotoka International Airport to the United States of America (USA) where he has been indicted by the South New York District Court for possession of and trafficking in tonnes of cocaine between South America and Africa.
Zabieh had been declared wanted after being linked to the transhipment of cocaine from Venezuela to South Africa and West Africa for onward distribution to the USA and Europe.
Before his extradition, eight members of his network, including a Ghanaian, Joseph Addae, and Zabieh’s Director of Operations, Jorge Solano-Cortes, a Colombian, had been extradited to the USA in a similar operation in February this year.
At the point of his arrest, Zabieh was travelling on a fake South African passport.
He and all those extradited earlier had previous drug convictions in the USA and France.
They are currently facing charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, contrary to US Code 846, in a South New York District Court.
The arrest and extradition of members of the drug mogul in Togo and Ghana followed a special operation jointly undertaken by the USA Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the governments of Ghana and Togo, with Ghana’s Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) and the National Security Secretariat as the frontrunners.
Exhibits found on Zabieh after his arrest included a video of the entire coastline of Ghana and Togo where it was believed that the ring received the drugs for repackaging and distribution.
Currently security operatives are on the trail of the agents of Zabieh who are responsible for the recruitment of couriers and the distribution chain at the lower levels of transaction.
Although information available to the security agencies indicates that the agents are foreigners, it is suspected that some of them could be of Ghanaian and West African origins, as well as European and South American nationalities who were using fictitious foreign names and passports.
The Executive Secretary of NACOB, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Robert Ayalingo, told the Daily Graphic, when contacted on the issue, that the arrest and subsequent extradition of the suspects was a major breakthrough in fighting illicit drug trafficking in West Africa.
According to him, the collaboration between Ghana and Togo which led to the arrests and extraditions should send a signal to the rest of the drug traffickers that they could no longer use Ghana as a transit point.
Story: Albert K. Salia
A COSTA RICAN businessman, described as the baron of the drug trade in West and South Africa, has been picked in a joint effort by anti-narcotic agencies in Ghana, the USA and Togo.
William Zabieh, 49, is said to be the mastermind of the major narcotic landings in Ghana, Togo, Guinea and South Africa over the past seven years and officials in Accra described his arrest as a major breakthrough in the fight against illicit drugs in West Africa.
He was extradited on June 19, 2009 on board a Delta airline flight 167 at the Kotoka International Airport to the United States of America (USA) where he has been indicted by the South New York District Court for possession of and trafficking in tonnes of cocaine between South America and Africa.
Zabieh had been declared wanted after being linked to the transhipment of cocaine from Venezuela to South Africa and West Africa for onward distribution to the USA and Europe.
Before his extradition, eight members of his network, including a Ghanaian, Joseph Addae, and Zabieh’s Director of Operations, Jorge Solano-Cortes, a Colombian, had been extradited to the USA in a similar operation in February this year.
At the point of his arrest, Zabieh was travelling on a fake South African passport.
He and all those extradited earlier had previous drug convictions in the USA and France.
They are currently facing charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, contrary to US Code 846, in a South New York District Court.
The arrest and extradition of members of the drug mogul in Togo and Ghana followed a special operation jointly undertaken by the USA Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the governments of Ghana and Togo, with Ghana’s Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) and the National Security Secretariat as the frontrunners.
Exhibits found on Zabieh after his arrest included a video of the entire coastline of Ghana and Togo where it was believed that the ring received the drugs for repackaging and distribution.
Currently security operatives are on the trail of the agents of Zabieh who are responsible for the recruitment of couriers and the distribution chain at the lower levels of transaction.
Although information available to the security agencies indicates that the agents are foreigners, it is suspected that some of them could be of Ghanaian and West African origins, as well as European and South American nationalities who were using fictitious foreign names and passports.
The Executive Secretary of NACOB, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Robert Ayalingo, told the Daily Graphic, when contacted on the issue, that the arrest and subsequent extradition of the suspects was a major breakthrough in fighting illicit drug trafficking in West Africa.
According to him, the collaboration between Ghana and Togo which led to the arrests and extraditions should send a signal to the rest of the drug traffickers that they could no longer use Ghana as a transit point.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Two arrested for conspiracy
Page 54: Daily Graphic, June 25, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
TWO persons, including a driver at the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), have been arrested on allegations of conspiracy to commit crime and stealing.
John Kwame Aryeh, the driver at the GIJ, and his friend, Steven Kwaku Nyarko, a tyre dealer, were said to be arrested during the process of removing the new tyres of a vehicle belonging to the GIJ and replacing them with worn-out ones.
The Director of the Organised Crime Unit (OCU) of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Superintendent Sarfo Agyemang, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that Nyarko visited Aryeh at the GIJ sometime in May this year and informed Aryeh that he (Nyarko) supplied vehicle tyres to a number of government agencies.
He said Nyarko then asked Aryeh to help him get a contract to supply tyres to the GIJ whenever the need arose.
Supt Agyemang said Aryeh then introduced Nyarko to an Assistant Registrar at the institute as a prospective supplier of tyres and batteries to the institute.
He said after a visit to the institute on June 18, 2009, Aryeh requested a witness in the case to agree to a plot to remove the tyres of one of the institute’s buses, with registration number GS 7367 Y and sell them to Nyarko.
He said the witness, after discussing the information with the Assistant Registrar, feigned interest in the deal.
Supt Agyemang said the witness and the accused persons then fixed June 20, 2009 for the execution of the transaction at a filling station at Adabraka.
According to him, the Assistant Registrar then informed the police, who laid ambush at the precincts of the filling station.
He said just as the suspects had brought out the old lorry tyres and were in the process of removing the new tyres on the vehicle, the police arrested them.
Story: Albert K. Salia
TWO persons, including a driver at the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), have been arrested on allegations of conspiracy to commit crime and stealing.
John Kwame Aryeh, the driver at the GIJ, and his friend, Steven Kwaku Nyarko, a tyre dealer, were said to be arrested during the process of removing the new tyres of a vehicle belonging to the GIJ and replacing them with worn-out ones.
The Director of the Organised Crime Unit (OCU) of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Superintendent Sarfo Agyemang, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that Nyarko visited Aryeh at the GIJ sometime in May this year and informed Aryeh that he (Nyarko) supplied vehicle tyres to a number of government agencies.
He said Nyarko then asked Aryeh to help him get a contract to supply tyres to the GIJ whenever the need arose.
Supt Agyemang said Aryeh then introduced Nyarko to an Assistant Registrar at the institute as a prospective supplier of tyres and batteries to the institute.
He said after a visit to the institute on June 18, 2009, Aryeh requested a witness in the case to agree to a plot to remove the tyres of one of the institute’s buses, with registration number GS 7367 Y and sell them to Nyarko.
He said the witness, after discussing the information with the Assistant Registrar, feigned interest in the deal.
Supt Agyemang said the witness and the accused persons then fixed June 20, 2009 for the execution of the transaction at a filling station at Adabraka.
According to him, the Assistant Registrar then informed the police, who laid ambush at the precincts of the filling station.
He said just as the suspects had brought out the old lorry tyres and were in the process of removing the new tyres on the vehicle, the police arrested them.
Police arrest two robbers
Page 21: Daily Graphic, June 25, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE timely response of the Police to two separate armed robbery incidents has resulted in the arrest of two suspected robbers in Accra and Akyemfo in the Western Region.
The suspects are Alex Asiedu Appiah, 28, who was arrested in Accra while Desmond Adams, 23, was arrested in Enchi in the Western Region.
Appiah, described by the police as one of suspected criminals who had been terrorising residents of Labone and its environs, was arrested after he and other suspects allegedly robbed a woman of nearly GH¢ 2,000 and a mobile phone while Desmond Adams was arrested at Akyemfo after his gang of seven attacked and robbed passengers on board two buses travelling from Kumasi to Takoradi.
Briefing the Daily Graphic on the two separate incidents in Accra yesterday, the Director of Police Public Affairs, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Kwesi Ofori, said in the case of Appiah, the victim was robbed at knife-point by the suspect and his accomplices.
He said the machinery put in place by the Police Administration to deal swiftly with such cases was applied to trace and apprehend the suspects.
According to him, Appiah was arrested two weeks later while the other suspects were being sought after.
He said the victim’s cellphone and GH¢1,000 had been retrieved from the Appiah.
With regard to the Akyemfo incident, DSP Ofori said two 207 Benz buses with registration numbers, AW 2471 Y and GR 1722 V, were intercepted by the robbers at Akyemfo where they had used logs to block the road at about 1am today.
He said the robbers robbed the passengers of their monies, mobile phones and took over the vehicles driving towards Enchi.
He said following the relaying of information to the police, a team of police personnel led by Lance Corporal Richard Owusu mounted a road barrier near Enchi in anticipation of the arrival of the robbers.
DSP Ofori said on seeing the police barrier, the robbers abandoned the vehicles and took to their heels but the police were able to arrest Desmond Adams, who was carrying GH¢487 and three mobile phones.
He said the police found a short gun on one of the vehicles and had mounted a search for the six other robbers.
DSP Ofori said the Police Administration required the support and co-operation of the public in fighting crime and indicated that the relaying of information on those two crimes resulted in those arrests.
He said the police was determined to fight crime and ensure that crime in the society was reduced to the barest minimum.
He noted that due to measures instituted by the Police Administration, there had been a gradual reduction of criminal activities especially in residential areas to about one or two cases a week.
DSP Ofori explained that although the crime rate had gone down, a single robbery incident created a serious panic and traumatic experiences in the society.
He said it was in the light of that that the Police Administration had instituted serious measures to deal with robberies and called for public co-operation.
He said the Police Information Room could be contacted on 021-773695; 021-773906; 0277-522288 or 0277-522299 and 191 on all networks.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE timely response of the Police to two separate armed robbery incidents has resulted in the arrest of two suspected robbers in Accra and Akyemfo in the Western Region.
The suspects are Alex Asiedu Appiah, 28, who was arrested in Accra while Desmond Adams, 23, was arrested in Enchi in the Western Region.
Appiah, described by the police as one of suspected criminals who had been terrorising residents of Labone and its environs, was arrested after he and other suspects allegedly robbed a woman of nearly GH¢ 2,000 and a mobile phone while Desmond Adams was arrested at Akyemfo after his gang of seven attacked and robbed passengers on board two buses travelling from Kumasi to Takoradi.
Briefing the Daily Graphic on the two separate incidents in Accra yesterday, the Director of Police Public Affairs, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Kwesi Ofori, said in the case of Appiah, the victim was robbed at knife-point by the suspect and his accomplices.
He said the machinery put in place by the Police Administration to deal swiftly with such cases was applied to trace and apprehend the suspects.
According to him, Appiah was arrested two weeks later while the other suspects were being sought after.
He said the victim’s cellphone and GH¢1,000 had been retrieved from the Appiah.
With regard to the Akyemfo incident, DSP Ofori said two 207 Benz buses with registration numbers, AW 2471 Y and GR 1722 V, were intercepted by the robbers at Akyemfo where they had used logs to block the road at about 1am today.
He said the robbers robbed the passengers of their monies, mobile phones and took over the vehicles driving towards Enchi.
He said following the relaying of information to the police, a team of police personnel led by Lance Corporal Richard Owusu mounted a road barrier near Enchi in anticipation of the arrival of the robbers.
DSP Ofori said on seeing the police barrier, the robbers abandoned the vehicles and took to their heels but the police were able to arrest Desmond Adams, who was carrying GH¢487 and three mobile phones.
He said the police found a short gun on one of the vehicles and had mounted a search for the six other robbers.
DSP Ofori said the Police Administration required the support and co-operation of the public in fighting crime and indicated that the relaying of information on those two crimes resulted in those arrests.
He said the police was determined to fight crime and ensure that crime in the society was reduced to the barest minimum.
He noted that due to measures instituted by the Police Administration, there had been a gradual reduction of criminal activities especially in residential areas to about one or two cases a week.
DSP Ofori explained that although the crime rate had gone down, a single robbery incident created a serious panic and traumatic experiences in the society.
He said it was in the light of that that the Police Administration had instituted serious measures to deal with robberies and called for public co-operation.
He said the Police Information Room could be contacted on 021-773695; 021-773906; 0277-522288 or 0277-522299 and 191 on all networks.
Ex-Salesman in court over GH¢180,000 fraud
Page 3: Daily Graphic, June 25, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
A former salesman/private dispatch rider, Dominic Anabiga, who allegedly conspired with the Financial Controller of Qualiplast to steal about GH¢180,000 belonging to the company, has been arrested.
However, the financial controller, Vasu Dev Chatlur, is now at large.
A number of properties believed to have been acquired by Anabiga with the money he allegedly stole have also been recovered.
The properties are two uncompleted buildings at Pokuase, a taxi cab, with registration number GR9818 Z; a Nissan Urvan bus, GR 7571-09; a Honda Motorbike, M-09-GR2672; two Samsung plasma television sets, two Samsung DVD players, two Crown Star television stands, a computer and its accessories, a swivel chair and a scientific calculator.
Two persons, Musa Zakari and Osman Musah, who are the caretakers of the properties have also been arrested.
The Daily Graphic, in its May 25, 2009 issue, published the picture of Anabiga as having been declared wanted by the Organised Crime Unit (OCU) of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.
Briefing the Daily Graphic yesterday, the Director of the OCU, Superintendent Sarfo Agyemang, said on May 12, 2009, the sales manager of the company gave GH¢8,000 to Anabiga to deposit in the company’s account at a bank but the suspect failed to return to work after he had left the premises of the company.
He said the company decided to cross-check with its bankers and it was detected that Anabiga had not deposited the money into the account.
According to Supt Agyemang, further checks revealed that Anabiga had failed to deposit all the money that had been given to him to deposit in the accounts between February 13, 2009 and May 12, 2009.
He said a scrutiny of the pay-in slips showed that Anabiga had stamped the slips with fake bank stamps and also forged a signature claiming it to be that of a bank official and presented them to the company.
He said the financial controller and the sales manager were invited to the OCU to assist in investigations but they were granted police enquiry bail.
Supt Agyemang said Vasu abandoned his post and fled the country but a warrant had been issued for his arrest.
He said investigations later revealed that Anabiga was staying with either Zakari or Musah and that the items believed to have been acquired by him had been given to them for safe keeping.
According to him, Anabiga, Zakari and Musah were later arrested at their hideout at Adukrom in Kumasi on June 2, 2009.
Supt Agyemang said it was also detected that suspects Zakari and Musah had in their possession the items purchased by Anabiga and that they also used their photographs, names and addresses to register the vehicles to cover up for Anabiga.
He said Anabiga allegedly admitted committing the offence and explained that it had been initiated by the sales manager, Hayssam Minkara, who allegedly procured the fake bank rubber stamp and also forged the signature of the bank’s official.
He said Anabiga claimed that Hayssam had allegedly given him a share of the money at the end of each transaction.
Supt Agyemang said Hayssam had denied the allegations.
Story: Albert K. Salia
A former salesman/private dispatch rider, Dominic Anabiga, who allegedly conspired with the Financial Controller of Qualiplast to steal about GH¢180,000 belonging to the company, has been arrested.
However, the financial controller, Vasu Dev Chatlur, is now at large.
A number of properties believed to have been acquired by Anabiga with the money he allegedly stole have also been recovered.
The properties are two uncompleted buildings at Pokuase, a taxi cab, with registration number GR9818 Z; a Nissan Urvan bus, GR 7571-09; a Honda Motorbike, M-09-GR2672; two Samsung plasma television sets, two Samsung DVD players, two Crown Star television stands, a computer and its accessories, a swivel chair and a scientific calculator.
Two persons, Musa Zakari and Osman Musah, who are the caretakers of the properties have also been arrested.
The Daily Graphic, in its May 25, 2009 issue, published the picture of Anabiga as having been declared wanted by the Organised Crime Unit (OCU) of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.
Briefing the Daily Graphic yesterday, the Director of the OCU, Superintendent Sarfo Agyemang, said on May 12, 2009, the sales manager of the company gave GH¢8,000 to Anabiga to deposit in the company’s account at a bank but the suspect failed to return to work after he had left the premises of the company.
He said the company decided to cross-check with its bankers and it was detected that Anabiga had not deposited the money into the account.
According to Supt Agyemang, further checks revealed that Anabiga had failed to deposit all the money that had been given to him to deposit in the accounts between February 13, 2009 and May 12, 2009.
He said a scrutiny of the pay-in slips showed that Anabiga had stamped the slips with fake bank stamps and also forged a signature claiming it to be that of a bank official and presented them to the company.
He said the financial controller and the sales manager were invited to the OCU to assist in investigations but they were granted police enquiry bail.
Supt Agyemang said Vasu abandoned his post and fled the country but a warrant had been issued for his arrest.
He said investigations later revealed that Anabiga was staying with either Zakari or Musah and that the items believed to have been acquired by him had been given to them for safe keeping.
According to him, Anabiga, Zakari and Musah were later arrested at their hideout at Adukrom in Kumasi on June 2, 2009.
Supt Agyemang said it was also detected that suspects Zakari and Musah had in their possession the items purchased by Anabiga and that they also used their photographs, names and addresses to register the vehicles to cover up for Anabiga.
He said Anabiga allegedly admitted committing the offence and explained that it had been initiated by the sales manager, Hayssam Minkara, who allegedly procured the fake bank rubber stamp and also forged the signature of the bank’s official.
He said Anabiga claimed that Hayssam had allegedly given him a share of the money at the end of each transaction.
Supt Agyemang said Hayssam had denied the allegations.
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