Crime & Punishment of Thursday, 18 January 2007

Source: GNA

Gang arrested after more than one year

Sogakope, Jan. 18, GNA - Four alleged members of a stealing gang suspected to be involved in a series of burglaries at the Sogakope township have been nabbed after outwitting the Police for more than a year.

About seven stores were reported broken into last year in the town with assorted items including building materials, wax prints and energy meters belonging to the Electricity Company of Ghana totaling over 150 million cedis stolen.

The four arrested are; Agbi Dotse, 19, Selorm Kroh, 19, Maxwell Ashigbi, 32, and Famous Ayikpa, 25, all resident in the area. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Godact Hlordzi in charge of the South Tongu District, told the GNA that the Police had several complaints of stores and rooms having been broken into and items stolen but investigations failed to identify the culprits. He said in the latest incident, the group broke into a boutique and made away with goods worth 20 million cedis on January 12, this year. ASP Hlordzi said investigations led to the arrest of Agbi who admitted his involvement and mentioned the other three as his accomplice.

He said Police surveillance led to the arrest of Kroh and Ashigbi on January 13 when a vehicle in which they were traveling from Sogakope to Ashaiman where they intended to sell the stolen items was intercepted at Ada Kasseh.

ASP Hlordzi said four sack loads of stolen items including the ECG meters, wax prints, electronic appliances and cosmetics were found in the passenger car.

He said Kroh led the Police to the arrest of Ayikpa in his house at Agorkpo near Sogakope where a deck in his room was identified as part of the stolen items.

The four according to ASP Hlordzi, had since appeared before a Sogakope Circuit Court and remanded in Police custody till February 15, this year.