The Ghana Police Service has confirmed the arrest of one individual linked to a violent robbery at a gold shop in the Mpohor District of the Western Region last Saturday. Security officials say efforts are underway to track down eight additional suspects believed to have taken part in the incident.
According to a police statement, a group of armed assailants stormed the area around 7:30 p.m. that evening, targeting two gold-buying outlets. Witnesses reported that the attackers, estimated at nine in number and wearing masks, brandished pump-action shotguns during the raid.
“They robbed them of unspecified amounts of money and quantity of gold, shot one Eric Kwofie, aged 43, and bolted into a nearby bush,” the police noted. One victim was left injured in the assault. Authorities say “frantic efforts” are continuing to ensure all suspects are apprehended.
In a separate development, the Anti-Armed Robbery Response Unit (AARU) foiled an attempted burglary at the MRB Rural Bank in Winneba, Central Region, last Friday. The attempted heist occurred in the early hours of the morning, when the bank’s security alarm was triggered around 1 a.m.
Responding officers on patrol rushed to the location, where they were met with gunfire from the suspects. “On reaching the location, they were met with sporadic gunshots from the robbers. After a brief exchange of fire, the robbery gang bolted from the scene, leaving behind one pump action gun and other tools used in the robbery,” police reported.
Investigators later processed the crime scene, recovering a weapon and an empty cartridge. Initial findings suggest that about five armed men attempted to break into the bank vault but were prevented by the swift intervention of the police.
“The modus operandi of this robbery gang is similar to that of the group involved in the earlier rural bank robberies, suggesting that the same gang may be responsible for all the robberies,” the police statement indicated. Intelligence reports further suggest the suspects may be hiding in Kumasi, where surveillance teams are currently deployed to trace their hideouts.
