The Upper East Regional Police have arrested five wanted suspected criminals from their hideouts in the Bolgatanga municipality.
They are Rufai Umoru, a Nigerian, 36; Otu Laryea Devis, 27; Stephen Botey, 29; Adonbire Asampana, 24, and Muntaka Mohammed.
Muntaka Mohammed is believed to be the gang leader and Adonbire is said to be his wife.
They were arrested in Bolgatanga where they had come to cool off after they had allegedly attacked an orphanage at New Ningo in the Ningo-Prampram District of the Greater Accra Region, and bolted with an unspecified amount of money in foreign and local currencies. They also allegedly stole mobile phones.
The suspected criminals were reportedly armed with pistols, a short gun, a hammer and machetes at the time of the attack of the orphanage and so succeeded in molesting the inmates and staff without any resistance before robbing them.
An initial report was made at the Prampram police station and with the help of technology, the law enforcers traced the one who had tried to decode one of the iPhones that were stolen from the orphanage.
After thorough investigations, it was revealed that the person had run to Bolgatanga.
The Upper East Regional Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service in Bolgatanga, with support from other police officers from Prampram, apprehended all the five suspects on January 7, 2018 at about 11pm.
The police retrieved three foreign pistols, one short gun and ammunition.
The supposed gang leader, Muntaka Mohammed, during interrogation, also mentioned other suspects namely, Israel Valentine Edoh, Nana Yaw aka Pastor and Mike Osuji, as the persons who invited him to bring weapons to assist them to rob a gold dealer at Gbani, a mining community in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region.
Israel Valentine Edoh was arrested at the Kings and Queens Guest House, from where he led the police to Musah Issah’s hideout.
According to Edoh, Musah Issah was the one who told him about the gold dealer and the fact that he (dealer) had some gold and huge sums of money in his possession.
Musah Issah, on the other hand, mentioned Daniel Adosi aka Pastor Dan as the one who introduced Israel Valentine Edo to him.
Another suspect, who was busted in a different operation, is Aduku Wahabu Awinititi, alias Bullet (a Rasta man).
He had been on the police wanted list for a number of crimes he had purportedly committed at Ashaiman and its environs in Accra.
The suspects, according to the regional police commander, would be handed over to the Tema and Ashaiman police for onward prosecution.
Meanwhile, Upper East Regional Police Commander, DCOP Vincent Redeemer Dedjeo, has issued a stern warning to criminals in the region and beyond never to consider the region as a place to hide.
He disclosed this while addressing the media in Bolgatanga to announce the arrest of the suspected criminals.
<<Print>>