Police Impound War Guns �In Kumasi

THE ASHANTI regional police command led by the regional commander, DCOP Kofi Boakye has arrested eleven suspects believed to be involved in different crimes in the region. The operation led to the retrieval of war guns and other dangerous weapons from the hideouts of the suspects. Addressing the press at the regional headquarters in Kumasi, DCOP Kofi Boakye said four of the suspects were involved in car snatching. They are Gideon Adatora, 22, unemployed, Stephen Addae, 27, security man at Amenfi Rural Bank, Anthony Gyamfi, 26, unemployed and Ali Sulemana aka Sulley who was able to escape. He said the men normally hire unsuspecting taxi drivers from various places in the Kumasi Metropolis to rob their victims at gun point. The stolen vehicles are then taken to suspect Anthony Gyamfi at Bekwai where the cars are sprayed into new colours and their registration numbers also changed. The vehicles are later sent to Diaso, a town in the Central region near Dunkwa- on-Offin to be handled by Stephen Addae who sells them to customers at a price ranging from GH� 4,500.00 to GH�10,000.00. According to DCOP Boakye, upon a tip-off, the police intercepted one of the vehicles at Diaso with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology embossed on both sides, which led to the arrest of suspect Stephen Addae and subsequently the two other suspects. Upon interrogation by the police, the suspects then confessed to the crime and led the police to retrieve 10 vehicles with four out of them being identified by their respective owners. In another development, on August 21, 2014, the highway patrol team was on their normal routine duty on Kumasi- Techiman road where they intercepted a mini bus at Abofour in the Offinso Municipality and a search conducted on it revealed a black bag which contained five locally manufactured guns (pistols) belonging to one Kwasi David, a suspect. Investigations conducted with the owners revealed that Kwabena Acheampong popularly known as IK and a resident of Buoho-Denaseas was the supplier of the guns. A follow-up led to the arrest of Mr Acheampong where 3 drilling machines, 2 hand drilling machines, 10 metal files, 3 saw blades, seven locally made single barreled guns and other iron metals used for the manufacturing of locally made guns were retrieved. Both suspects were arrested for possessing unregistered weapons and manufacturing of weapons. Two suspects who were arrested for possessing fire arms without authority were Bawa Salis and Kafui Adams and they were arrested on September 1, 2014 at Obuasi- Nsuta upon information that some criminals were preparing to sell guns to interested persons. The police intelligence machinery was instituted to track them down in order to retrieve the weapons and arrest the suspects. Later, the team of police men managed to catch up with Bawa Salis, under the guise of buying the weapon. DCOP Boakye urged the public to assist the police service in order to clamp down criminals in the system by giving information of the hideouts of suspects for the necessary action.