Robbers attack Royal Motors; Bolt with hundreds of cedis

Four suspected armed robbers Tuesday allegedly stormed the Royal Motors Ghana Limited, an automobile company, in the Industrial Area, in Accra and made away with thousands of cedis of the company’s sales.

Like a Hollywood action movie, after the attack, the robbers, snatched a BMW saloon car from a man, after shooting him to run away with their booty.

They were said to have fired warning shots to scare bystanders from interfering with their operation.

Before they ended their operation, the robbers were alleged to have dismantled the CCTV camera installed at the premises of the company to erase any traces of their activities.

According to the Public Relations Officer of the Accra Regional Police Command, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mrs Effia Tenge, the police received information that the robbers entered the premises of Royal Motors Ghana Limited at about 9:15am.

That was after they had refused to park their Toyota Corolla, with tainted glass, outside the company, as directed by the private security officer on duty at the company’s entrance.

The private security officer is said to have told them to park their vehicle and use the pedestrian walkway since vehicles were not allowed into the premises.

But before the security officer could record the registration number of their vehicle, the men, who had initially claimed they were at company’s premises to make enquires, pulled out a gun and asked to him to lead them to either the cash office, or the manager’s office or the account office.

They later went to the sales executive manager’s office, where they collected all the monies from the manager.

They also collected the phones and monies of eight employees who had then reported for work at the time of the attack.

Thereafter, they attempted to escape in their Toyota Corolla saloon car, but the car ran into an BMW car in front of Latex Form Ghana, which was a few meters away from Royal Motors.

They, however, quickly abandoned their car and snatched the BMW car, after shooting the driver in the hand and his left shoulder.

According to Mrs Tenge said the private security man at Royal Motors, whose phone was not seized by the attackers, called the police, but before the police arrived the robbers had escaped.

Witnesses

Eyewitnesses who spoke to the Daily Graphic explained that one of the robbers was firing an AK47 gun, while another was seen collecting notes of GH¢50 from boxes into a bag when they were transferring the monies stolen from the Royal Motors Company into the hijacked car.

They fired several warning shots to prevent people from getting closer and sped off leaving few notes for bystanders to take.

The Toyota Corolla they left behind had two registration numbers: GG 482 15 and GR 9740 14.

Another eyewitness explained that he was then working when he heard a loud bang and when he immediately perceived that it could be an accident, he quickly came out, but was shocked to seeing the men firing gun shots.

It is said the driver whose vehicle was snatched and shot stoped a taxi and asked the driver to take him to a nearby medical facility for treatment before the police could arrive.

In separate interviews, witnesses, including traders in the vicinity, expressed worry about the state of under-resourced police personnel and called for the establishment of a police station in the area.

Meanwhile, in a press release signed by the Director of Public Affairs of the Ghana police Service, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr David Eklu, the Police have so far arrested nine persons in connection with the Forex Bureau and Money Transfer robberies.

Other two persons who are in police custody are assisting with investigation in relation to the Industrial Area robbery that occurred yesterday morning near Kaneshie.

The statement said, the police are assuring the public of intensified operations especially at robbery prone areas.

Discussions with stakeholders such as the Bank of Ghana and Mobile Money operators are also ongoing in order to identify better ways of improving security. the statement added.