Koforidua, March 30, GNA - A gang of armed robbers last Saturday attacked five households at the Okorase Housing Estates and "Mile 50" suburbs of Koforidua and made away with cash and other items. Three suspected accomplices of the gang had been arrested to assist the police in their investigations.

A police source said the robbers made away with mobile phones, cash and some personal effects and a police patrol team managed to recover a shotgun, a mobile phone and five pieces of wax prints during the encounter at the Asomdwe house at Mile 50. The source said one of the robbers was suspected to be wounded, forcing him to drop the items and appealed to the public to report any wounded man to the police.

It said the gang, armed with shotguns, cutlasses and clubs, launched their robberies around 2200 hours. They ransacked rooms and took away two cameras, two wristwatches, a mobile phone and cash.

The source said the gang then proceeded to the third house at Asomdwe Junction and robbed the occupant of three mobile phones, five pieces of wax prints, gold and silver wrist watches, engagement and wedding rings and 4.3 million cedis.

It said the police patrol team responded to distress calls and rushed to the area but the gang had left and while there they heard of gun shots at a distance in the Mile 50 area and went there. While in the area a policeman got to a compound house where he suspected the robbers to be operating and he opened fire. This forced the robbers to escape and one of them who attempted to climb a wall was hit.

The patrol team learnt that the robbers took four families hostage and robbed them of four mobile phones and total cash of 13.055 million cedis.

The police said the team trailed blood drops to a house where three young men suspected to be accomplices of the gang were arrested for questioning while the search for the main robbers continued. 30 March 06