Armed robbers numbering about four on Friday evening attacked a bullion van belonging to the Absa Bank at gunpoint at Mmaampehia near Techiman in the Bono East Region and stole over GH¢600,000 contained in the van.
Reports say the robbers who were wielding guns attacked the van and its occupants at about 5.30 pm wounding the driver and a police officer on board in the process before fleeing with their booty.
The report identified the driver of the van with registration number GT 3181 – W, as Frank Agyeman, the police officer as Lance Corporal Yussif Abubakar and an official of the bank on board as Sampson Kofi Sarfo.
The robbers were said to have bolted away with an AK 47 rifle loaded with 19 rounds of ammunition together with the police officer’s armour into the nearby bush.
Confirmation
The Bono East Regional Police Commander, DCOP Djan Kyere confirmed the story and stated that GH¢ 234,000 out of the amount contained in the bullion van had been retrieved by the police.
According to him, in their hurry, the robbers left GH¢ 39,000 inside the van while GH¢195,000 was also retrieved when the vehicle used to by the robbers was intercepted at Akomadan in the Ashanti Region.
Sharing booty
DCOP Kyere explained further that the robbers parked their saloon car in front of an uncompleted gari processing factory at Akomadan to share their booty.
He said in the process they were spotted by a police guard who called for reinforcement for the arrest of the perpetrators.
Police reinforcement
DCOP Kyere said when the police reinforcement arrived, the robbers had run away leaving behind the saloon car they used for the operation, GHC 195,000 out of the booty and a G3 gun and an action pump gun behind.
They, however went away with the AK 47 they seized from the policeman on board the bullion van and another one they used in their operation.
DCOP Kyere explained that one person who had shown up to claim the ownership of the vehicle used by the robbers for the robbery had been arrested for interrogation.
The victims of the robbery who were rushed to the Techiman Holy Family Hospital have have been treated and discharged while the bullion van has been towed to the Techiman Police Station.
DCOP Kyere added that the police were still investigating the matter for arrest of the robbers who were believed to be still hiding the Ashanti Region.
Source Graphic Online