A suspected criminal jumped to his death at Techiman last Friday in a bid to avoid arrest during a special operation mounted by a combined team of the police and military to clamp down on criminals.

The suspect, named only as Opoku, 25, was said to have attempted to scale over a wall at Agyeiwaa Memorial Hotel during the operation in which 49 suspected criminals were arrested. Opoku, however, fell over the wall and was rushed to the Techiman Holy Family Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp wrapped in papers were found on him. The operation, code-named "Raging Hawk", which involved 11 officers and 184 men, formed part of the national exercise to clamp down on the activities of criminals in the country.

Briefing the Ghana News Agency, Assistant Commissioner of Police Ephraim Oko Brakatu, Brong Ahafo Regional Police Commander and leader of the operation, said the exercise was in response to persistent harassment of the people in the region, especially traders, by hardened criminals in the Techiman Market.

Mr Brakatu said the exercise was the first in a series to be mounted by the military and police to flush out criminals in the region. He appealed to the general public to provide the needed information to the police and other security agencies to enable them to flush out criminals from the society.

Major Richard Doku, Acting Garrison Commander of the Third Battalion of Infantry, Sunyani, said the security services were determined to make like unpleasant for criminals. Major Doku, who described the exercise as successful, said the operation would soon be extended to other districts in the region.

He therefore appealed to the district assemblies and traditional rulers to co-operate the security agencies during such exercises. He expressed appreciation to the people of Techiman for their co-operation through the provision of information and food for the team.

Items such as bags of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, whitish substance believe to be cocaine, refrigerators and travelling bags were found on the suspected criminals. The suspects would be screened to identify the criminals among them to be prosecuted but the innocent ones among them would be released.