Police Quiz 4 Over Cantonments Shooting Incident

Four persons, including the Supervisor of the Cantonments branch of the Koala Supermarkets, have been arrested in connection with an attempted robbery and shooting of a sales woman of the supermarket.

Others are the security man at ACACIA Construction Firm, also at Cantonments, and two suspected armed robbers, identified as Stanley Obaleko, alias Suleiman Mohammed, a 35, a Nigerian and Oko Quarcoo, 30 a Ghanaian.

The supervisor, Gilbert Osabutey, 36, from Koala and his accomplice, Doe Ahiatafu, 28, a security man, were said to have masterminded the robbery operation, which was foiled by a taxi driver.
Taxi driver commended

Briefing the press in Accra yesterday, the Director General of the Criminals Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Commissioner of Police (COP), Mr Prosper Agblor commended the taxi driver whose sheer bravado stopped the two armed robberss on a motorbike from robbing a young woman of her handbag.

He said the victim, Lydia Horsu, who sustained gun shot wounds, was currently on admission at the 37 Military Hospital responding to treatment, while the two robbers who sustained serious bone fractures were currently on admission at the Police Hospital in Accra, receiving treatment.

COP Agblor said the taxi driver’s vehicle was damaged and announced that at the appropriate time all those who contributed to the arrest of the two suspects would be handsomely rewarded by the police administration.

Preliminary investigations by the police indicated that the robbery was masterminded by Osabutey as the victim always went to the supermarket every morning to collect the previous day’s sales.

“Aware of this routine daily collection, Osabutey contacted Ahiatafu, the security man of Acacia Construction, also within the same area, to attack the young woman when she came for the money.

“When the victim went for the sales last Saturday, she, however, did not receive any money but when she emerged from the supermarket, the two suspected robbers on a motorbike followed her.

“Suspecting that the woman was carrying money, the two robbers, who were riding a BMW motorbike, tried to snatch her handbag at the American Embassy, but she resisted them.

Although the suspected robbers shot at the woman and wounded her seriously in the thigh and calf when she resisted them, they could not snatch away the handbag.

That was because a taxi driver who chanced on the incident crossed the robbers and hit their motorbike with his taxi cab in a bid to prevent them from absconding.

In the process, the suspected armed robbers fell from their motorbike.

He said the police rushed to the scene and quickly arrested the two robbers, while the victim was sent to the hospital.

Shared responsibility
Mr Agblor said fighting crime was a shared responsibility between the police and members of the public ,and said the police needed the support of all in order to work effectively and efficiently.

Recognition
In a related development, former President Jerry John Rawlings has commended the taxi driver who knocked down the two suspected armed robbers who attempted to attack the young woman.

He also praised a soldier who intervened after the driver’s action.

“The boldness exhibited by the taxi driver is truly heroic and patriotic. At the risk of his own life, he confronted these armed robbers, damaged his taxi in the process and ensured they did not escape the law.

“We should all applaud his courage and the two men deserve national recognition for their bravery,” the former President said.