PHOTO: Kwabena Takyi Gunned Down

KWABENA TAKYI, a 30-year-old notorious armed robber who specialised in car-snatching, was finally killed on Saturday March 17, 2012 at a hotel in Kumasi where he and his gang had gone to rob unsuspecting victims. Takyi, who killed Chief Inspector Jacob Nyame on April 13, 2009 in Kumasi for causing his arrest somewhere in 2008 ,after he robbed a church, was re-arrested and bailed later. Ever since he secured the bail from an Accra Circuit Court, he was never seen but had been involved in several robberies in which his group snatched over 10 cars at gunpoint. The deceased robber was known for disguising himself, sometimes masquerading as a Rastaman. The Director-General of Police Operations, COP John Kudalor, told journalists at a press briefing yesterday that on Saturday, the Accra Regional Police Command had a tip-off that Takyi and his gang were planning to rob people at a hotel in Kumasi. A team of police officers led by the Deputy Regional Police Commander, DCOP Christian Tetteh Yohuno, closed in on the robbers who had then checked into the hotel. Takyi, upon seeing the police, allegedly opened fire. The police returned fire and in the ensuing exchange, Takyi fell and died as his accomplices escaped. Some of the vehicles he was said to have snatched at gunpoint were Mercedes Benz registered AS 1725 W, 4�4 Honda with registration number GR 7634 Z; Opel Astra registered GR 270 U and a number of Kia Pride vehicles. He was reported to have tampered with the registration and chassis numbers of the stolen vehicles. On October 10, 2010, Takyi was arrested at his hideout at Pataase in Kumasi where he admitted to a series of robberies in the Kumasi metropolis. Later, a Kumasi Circuit Court granted him bail and he relocated to Accra. At a point, he was caged at the CID Headquarters in Accra where he boasted that he would kill Chief Inspector Nyame for causing his arrest. According to DCOP Kudalor, Takyi indeed carried out his threat, as he killed the said C/Inspt only three days after he was granted bail. He was re-arrested in Accra on August 15, 2009 at Kakasunaka when he and his gang tried to rob a former Black Stars player. He managed to secure bail again and went back to Kumasi to continue in his robbery trade. He was never seen again until he met his untimely death last Saturday. The Police Chief appealed to all guest houses and hotels to ensure that the identities of visitors were well recorded with their photographs attached so as to help police in investigations in case of any eventuality. He also urged them to fix CCTV cameras to help in the apprehension of criminals. He stressed that a taskforce would soon be set to inspect the various hospitality centres to ensure they complied, adding that the staff of the hotel where Takyi was gunned down were amazed because they never knew the deceased and his accomplices were armed robbers. The police also retrieved a foreign pistol and two magazines with 27 rounds of ammunition as well as an unregistered white-colloured Toyota Corolla S.