Eight persons, believed to be members of a criminal group involved in robbing travellers on the Ghana-Togo border, have been rounded up in an operation by the police at Beat 13 at Aflao.

They are Victor Normanyo, Adams Moses, Ahordo Kporga, Christian Azaledzi, Atatsa Darteh, Papaga Abomson, Agbeko Adamu and Kudjo Amesinu.

Seven others, yet to be named, managed to escape and are still on the run.

Mr Fredrick Lumor, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in charge of the Command, told the Ghana News Agency that following repeated complaints of criminal gang groups robbing travellers at Beat 13 and other entry points along the border, his command decided to act.

He said at about 0300 hrs on Thursday July 6, this year, the police team, led by himself abandoned the police vehicle at a distance, walked through the bush to Beat 13, the crime hotspot, where they took cover in the bushes to closely monitor activities of the gangs.

Mr Lumor said shortly afterwards, 15 young men came on motorbikes, quickly positioned themselves and began harassing the travelers, with his team ‘clearly seeing and hearing everything’.

He said the group shouted at the victims to surrender their valuables and monies for verification for their genuineness, identifying themselves as Police, BNI, National Security and Ghana Immigration Service personnel, during which some of them occasionally searched the bushes with flashlights for intruders.

Mr Lumor said at about 0600 hrs his team finally swooped, arresting the eight and impounded eight motorbikes.

He said one of them, Papaga was found with some quantities of suspected Indian hemps, and while at the station one Kueviakoe Kankoe Lambert, an Ivorian national came to identify Kudjo Amesinu and Ahordo Kporga to have forcibly snatched an amount of CFA100,000 from him.

Mr Lumor said it is clear some commercial motor riders were links, by offering to transport unsuspecting travellers arriving in main town to the border, only to deliver to the robbers to rob, while illegal currency dealers also point out persons carrying huge cash to the criminals.

He said every effort will be undertaken to nib the activities of the criminals in the bud and appealed to the public to offer relevant information to the police to create a safe haven for all, particularly traders who come for business in neighbourng Lome.

Mr Lumor said the group will soon be put before court on charges including illegal possession of narcotic drug, robbery and falsely presenting themselves as security officers.