Police grab six armed robbers

Front Page: Daily Graphic, June 29, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
A SWIFT response by the police to a distress call from the Goil Filling Station at Tantra Hill in Accra yesterday led to the arrest of six armed robbers who had attacked the filling station about 8 a.m.
Three of the robbers were arrested in the melee of the robbery.
They are Emmanuel Dawutey, a mason who was arrested in a bush with a pump action gun and a pistol, Isaac Cobbinah, 24, a bicycle repairer, and Selorm Hafe, 24, a labourer.
Three others, including a security man at the filling station, were later arrested in their homes at Tantra Hill.
They are John Salifu, the security man, Frank Sabree, 24, who is alleged to have mobilised the robbers after Salifu had discussed the robbery of the station with him, and John Atta Ganaah, 32.
Two others, identified only as Rocky and Roger, however, escaped and are believed to have bolted with the money.
The Station Manager of the filling station and the Head of Security there, Mr Patrick Abakah and WOI Jacob Donkor (retd), respectively, who were hit with metals by the robbers, were rushed to the 37 Military Hospital for treatment.
The Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Rose Bio Atinga, supported by the Director of Operations at the Police Headquarters, ACP Richmond Boi-Bi-Boi, and the Deputy Regional Commander, ACP Christian Yohuno, told newsmen in Accra yesterday that following the receipt of the distress call, the police informed all police day patrol teams about it.
She said the Tesano District Commander, ASP Theodore Hlormenu, and his Mile Seven counterpart, ASP Simon Agbodeka, responded swiftly to the crime scene.
According to her, about six different patrol teams also joined in the chase of the armed robbers.
DCOP Atinga said the arresting team pursued the robbers towards Dome where the robbers’ vehicle ran into a ditch.
That, she said, led to the arrest of Selorm and Isaac, while the others escaped.
She said with the help of residents of Dome Pillar II, Dawutey was arrested in the bush after firing warning shots to keep the police away from arresting him.
She said the police later picked up intelligence that John, the security man at the filling station, who had gone for night duties, relayed the information to the robbers to attack because the station manager and the head of security were counting the sales for the night.