Cape Coast May 20, GNA- Three armed men who allegedly attacked, molested and robbed passengers on an Accra bound Nissan urban bus of various sums of money totalling 21,630 million cedis on the Mankessim-Accra highway were on Friday remanded in prison custody by a circuit court at Cape Coast.

The pleas of Kwakwo Gyebi 36, who was described by the police as leader of the gang, Kwesi Boakye 27 and Alhassan Adamu 32, were not taken and they would reappear on Friday June 2.

Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Hope Azasoo, told the court, presided over by Mr Mustapha Logoh, that at dawn on Thursday, the alleged armed robbers, boarded a vehicle with other passengers at Mankessim around 0340 hours, supposedly to travel to Accra.

He said Adamu and Boakye occupied the front seat while Gyebi, sat directly behind the driver, one Mr Stephen Essuman. He alleged that after the vehicle had passed the bridge at Ekumfi-Swedru, on the highway, Gyebi, who was sitting behind the driver pulled the driver's shirt, shot him in the back from behind and ordered him to stop the vehicle.

He said this compelled the driver to jump from the vehicle, which Gyebi took over, while Boakye and Adamu moved to the back, where they allegedly robbed the passengers at a gunpoint, while the vehicle was in motion.

Chief inspector Asazoo further alleged that at a certain point, Adamu and Boakye ordered the female passengers to take off their panties for them to ascertain whether they had hidden any monies. He said afterwards, the three men pushed their victims from the vehicle and fled in it, but the vehicle got stuck in mud on a bush path at Krofu a village, not far from the bridge.

He said the injured driver together with some of the passengers managed to get back to Mankessim where they reported the matter to the police who mobilized a search party from nearby villages to look for the robbers.

He said Gyebi was found hiding in a forest near where the vehicle got stuck and he showed the search party where Boakye and Adamu were hiding and they were also arrested.

Chief inspector Azasoo said the monies, a locally manufactured revolver, an imported pistol, bottle of madras tablets, five life ammunitions, two masks and one Erickson mobile phone were retrieved from them.