Crime & Punishment of Monday, 19 June 2006

Source: GNA

Robbers take advantage of heavy downpour

Binduri (U/E), June 19, GNA - Six armed robbers on Sunday evening took advantage of a heavy downpour to rob traders of their cash, mobile phones and wares at the Binduri forest section of the Bawku-Garu highway.

It took the bravery of a driver of a KIA Cargo truck, Mr. Kwame Attah and timely arrival of a joint police-military patrol team to save the victims and other commuters on the highway. This incident brings to three the number of robberies within the past three weeks, which normally happens on market days in the municipality.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Mr. Attah said that upon reaching that portion, which is in a curve, he saw bicycles lying across the road and two persons signalling him to stop.

He explained that being a victim to the modus operandi of the robbers, he sped and run over the bicycles and saw some other people lying faced-down by the roadside in the forest.

Mr. Attah said the robbers fired at his vehicle and after some few distance from the spot, he called the police who rushed to the scene on his mobile phone.

The Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Emmanuel K. Bledjumah, confirmed the incident and said when the police arrived on the scene the robbers had taken to their heels. He said the robbers deflated the tyres of the motors and bicycle of their victims after robbing them of their cash, phones and other wares and made them to lie face down.

He said the robbers managed to escape with three new unregistered motorbikes seized from some of the victims, leaving behind two bicycles they brought to commit the crime.

In all, 21 people, mostly traders returning from the market were robbed of tens of million cedis, he added.