Police arrest member of armed robbery gang

Page 47: Daily Graphic, July 16, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Kwabenya Police have arrested a member of the robbery gang that allegedly attacked a house at Ashongman Estates in Accra on June 28, 2009.
Rauf Sulemana alias Buttocks, was arrested at his hideout at Nima after he had left his known residence at Konkomba market.
He was alleged to have done the surveillance on the house in question and informed other members of the five-member gang to rob it.
The Daily Graphic in its July 1, 2009 issue published the story of the arrest of two suspected armed robbers after they attacked a house at Ashongman Estates in Accra.
The suspects, Joseph Adam, 21, a Nigerian, and Ben Kwame, 22, a Ghanaian, were among five armed robbers who attacked the house at about 7:20p.m. on June 28. Two cartridges were retrieved from Adam when the police pursued him after they were called by a resident of the house.
Three locally manufactured weapons and some bangles were later retrieved from a kiosk belonging Sulemana Rauf at the Konkomba Market, although he and two others escaped.
During the robbery at Ashongman, the suspects took away £1,000, $1,000 and GH¢2,800.
The Deputy Accra Regional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Christian Yohuno, told the Daily Graphic in Accra last Tuesday that after his arrest, Rauf allegedly admitted knowing about the robbery but denied taking part in it.
He said Rauf claimed that he was invited by Joseph Adams to participate in the robbery but he declined.
According to him, Rauf claimed that one of the suspects on the run, who had been identified only as Aminu, later asked him (Rauf) to meet him at Circle for his share of the money for the role he played in the exercise.
ACP Yohuno said the suspect claimed that Aminu failed to show up when he went to Circle to meet him and indicated that it was at that point that Rauf’s sister called to inform him that the police were after him.
Accordingly, he said, the suspect said he went to stay in Nima to avoid being arrested.
In a related development, the Cantonments Police are also investigating three young men on suspicion of being armed robbers.
The three, Ibrahim Issah, Eric Nyarko and Benjamin Dumfeh, are currently in custody.
Briefing the Daily Graphic in Accra last Tuesday, the Cantonments District Police Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Alex Kumangtani, said Issah Ibrahim was rushed to the 37 Military Hospital at about 8:30p.m. on July 8, 2009 with wounds on his head and back.
He said at about 12 noon on July 9, 2009, while still on admission, Eric and Benjamin went to the hospital and attempted to smuggle Issah out but they were arrested by the Military Police.
According to ASP Kumangtani, Eric and Benjamin claimed upon interrogation that someone called them that Issah had been discharged and that they should go the hospital to take him home.
He said they claimed that the three of them were co-tenants at Shiashie, a surburb of Accra.
ASP Kumangtani said when Issah was questioned on the cause of his wounds, he claimed he was attacked by some people.
He, however, said Issah failed to mention where the incident took place, neither did he report the attack to the police.