Kumasi, Oct 26, GNA - The Ashanti Regional Police Command last Friday busted a car-snatching syndicate and recovered 10 vehicles suspected to have been stolen.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Patrick Timbillah, the Regional Commander, said police retrieved an Opel Astra, Urvan bus, three KIA Pride, Mercedes Benz V boot, Toyota Corolla, BMW, KIA Avella and an R Golf.

He told journalists on Monday that the police were holding nine suspects who are assisting in investigations. They are Kwabena Asare, Emmanuel Armah, Mohammed Abass, Alex Amoah and Ackaah Mintah. The rest are Simon Yeboah, Yaw Isaac, Yaw Annor and Kwabena Boampong.

Mr Timbillah said hardly a week passed in recent times without a report of taxi cab and other vehicles having been violently seized from their owners by armed criminals.

Police intelligence, he said, showed that this was the result of the activities of sophisticated syndicate operating in the Kumasi Metropolis and other parts of the country. He recalled a recent operation mounted by the police in the region with their counterparts from Accra during which six stolen vehicles were recovered and four suspects arrested. Mr Timbillah appealed to the public to volunteer information to the police to enable them clamp down on criminals.