Three persons including a soldier have been arrested for posing as personnel of Operation Vanguard — a task force enforcing the ban on illegal mining in Ghana.

They were arrested at Sekyere in the Atiwa West District of the Eastern Region on Thursday, November 21, 2019.

The soldier has been named as Private Bawa Kobore, military personnel with the 5 Infantry Battalion, Southern Command, Accra.

His accomplices have also been identified as Emmanuel Opoku, personnel with the Forestry Commission at Achimota and Seth Tiboah, who is a native of Sekyere.

According to the task force, the group is suspected to be part of a syndicate constantly terrorising and extorting monies from unsuspecting civilians.

The suspects were said to have carried out a similar operation at the Sekyere enclave when the task force proceeded to the scene upon intelligence.

Three other suspects, including one Private Baah Fredrick— a Military Police personnel of 153 Armoured Recce Regiment and a National Security Operative bolted when the team arrived at the scene.

Led by Major JM Baluo, the Commanding Officer, he said items including an M16 assault rifle and 15 rounds of 5.56*45mm NATO ammunition were retrieved from the suspects.

The suspects have since been detained and are assisting with investigations.

Launched by the current government in 2017, the task force have chalked some successes in the fight against illegal mining in Ghana.

Some unscrupulous persons, however, have since been taking advantage of the team’s mandate to parade themselves as members and exploiting unsuspecting Ghanaians claiming to among other things, protect them from being arrested for undertaking illegal mining activities.