Three car snatchers nabbed

Page 46: Daily Graphic, August 20, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THREE suspected car snatchers including a woman were on Monday arrested by the police on a tip-off.
Benjamin Asante, alias Delinger, 33, and his girlfriend, Felicia Kordai Addy, 29, and Papa Nii Copson, alias Corporal, are currently in police custody.
Delinger and Corporal are both ex-convicts who were released on March 30, 2009 after almost three years in prison for narcotic offences.
The modus operandi of the group is to use a lady to hire a taxi to a purported destination, mostly at places where the other members of the gang would be waiting.
Upon reaching the destination, the lady would then pull a gun or machete on the driver following which the other gang members would rush in to assist to snatch the car.
The gang would then use the vehicle to commit robbery elsewhere and later abandon the car.
Other members of the gang, who are all in custody at the Odorkor Police Station, have been identified as Akpa Tete, Paa Joe, Osei, Laa Kotey alias Babu Shaka.
Delinger and Corporal told the police that their last operation was about two months ago in which they robbed a woman around Radio Gold after snatching a car at Korle Gonno.
Briefing the Daily Graphic in Accra, the Deputy Accra Regional Police Commander, ACP Christian Tetteh Yohuno, said following the last operation, Delinger and Corporal went into hiding.
He, however, said an informant gave the police a tip-off on Monday, August 17, 2009 which eventually led to the arrest of Delinger.
ACP Yohuno said it was after Delinger was arrested that he mentioned Felicia, his girlfriend, as an accomplice.
According to him, the police also had information that Corporal was now a taxi driver plying around Bortianor area and, therefore, had to mount surveillance in the area to arrest him around midnight while he was driving towards Bortianor.
He said Corporal explained that he had since stopped snatching cars after he escaped an arrest at Odorkor in an operation in which Akpa Tete was arrested.
During interrogation, Corporal mentioned suspects Tei Raja, Lomotey and Charles Lege, as part of the gang that attacked a residence at Omanjor a couple of weeks ago in which two of the suspected robbers were killed.
Raja, Lomotey and Lege are still on the run.