Robbery - Prophetess, 5 others picked up

Page 3: Daily Graphic, April 23, 2010.
Story: Albert K. Salia
FIVE persons, including a prophetess, have been picked up in connection with the robbery of two foreign visitors at a hotel at East Cantonments last Tuesday.The police have also retrieved the Nissan Sentra which the suspected robbers snatched from its owner after their car had run into a ditch.
The passport of one of the visitors, who is a female, has also been retrieved.
Those in custody are Prophetess Mama Romeo, Joseph Annonor, a mechanic, Vida Karikari, Doris Karikari and Doris Dede Tetteh.
The Nungua District Crime Officer, ASP (Dr) Philip Akanpami, told the Daily Graphic that an informant alerted the police to a vehicle being tampered with by a mechanic at the Nungua Old Cemetery on Wednesday afternoon.
He said when the police moved to the scene, Joseph Annonor, the mechanic, indicated that he had been contracted by three young men to repair the ignition, since they had lost the ignition key.
He said the mechanic then led the police to Prophetess Romeo’s residence, where the car had allegedly been parked overnight.
ASP Akanpami said the prophetess also indicated that three young ladies, Vida, Doris and Dede, who lived close by, had pleaded with her to allow their visitors to park the car in her yard, since their house was not walled.
According to him, when the prophetess led the police to the house of the three ladies, they were informed that the ladies had left for a town on the Akuapem Ridge.
He said the police later had information on the movement of the ladies, which led to their arrest.
ASP Akanpami said the case had been referred to the Accra Regional Police Headquarters for further investigations.
The Deputy Accra Regional Police Commander, ACP Christian Tetteh Yohuno, said the two men who had invited the visitors to Ghana and who had been arrested to assist in investigations had been granted bail.
Three armed robbers, on Tuesday night, attacked and robbed two foreign visitors as they entered the reception of a hotel at East Cantonments.
The suspects later snatched a vehicle near the Ghana Free Zones offices after their white Toyota Corolla, with registration number GE 8793-09, had run into a ditch.
All the personal belongings of the foreign visitors, including laptops, digital cameras and cash, were taken from them.