Good Samaritan taxi driver struggles for survival after damaging vehicle to apprehend criminals

A taxi driver (Good Samaritan), Joseph Kwadwo Koranteng, who risked his life by using his vehicle to chase two armed robbers on motorbike, leading to the arrest of one of the suspects is now struggling for survival.

Following the incident which led to the arrest of one of the suspects, he said he was now jobless after damaging his vehicle, and as such was unable to pay the weekly GH¢1,000 he was required to pay in a work-and-pay arrangement with the car owner.

Moreover, he said he was unable to fend for his three children, as he did not have money to repair his vehicle.  

He is, therefore, asking for financial support to repair the car and a possible replacement of the number plate since it had been exposed after some persons published the numbers on social media.

Security wise, he said that was not safe for him, and he has expressed the wish that the number should be changed with a different one.

“Now, I need assistance from the public to repair the vehicle because the owner is on my neck. Things are really hard for me,” he said.

Momo vendor  

The suspects had robbed a momo vendor of some unspecified amount of cash at Block Factory, North Kaneshie, at about 9:47 a.m. last Tuesday, and were running away with their booty when they were pursued by the driver who rammed his vehicle into their motorbike amidst warning shots at Darkuman.

Narrating the incident to the Daily Graphic last Monday, the driver, Joseph Koranteng, said he had parked his vehicle at the Block Factory, and that just about when he had decided to urinate he heard shouts of thief, thief.

“I did not urinate , and then sat in my car and chased them.

They took through the rough road as I kept following them. When we got to the Fadama area they fired  warning shots to prevent me from following them but I did not stop and kept following them,” he said.

He explained that it was on the Darkuman main road leading to Nyamekye and the Bombay area, where he rammed their motorbike with his vehicle.

After doing that, Mr Koranteng said he shouted to the hearing of people that came around that the riders on the motorbike were thieves who had stolen someone’s money.

Arrest

One of the suspects, he said, was subsequently grabbed but the other escaped.

He said the police at Darkuman came over and took him and the suspect to the police station.

While pursuing the suspected criminals, he said  one of his car tyres burst  damaging the left side of the bumper.

After he and the suspect were taken to the police and his statement was taken, Mr Koranteng said he was asked to wait while the (suspect) was taken to the hospital for treatment due to the injury he sustained.

He said the suspect was taken to his residence in Kasoa in the Central Region, where 15 others –four women and 11 males, were arrested.

Following that, he said he was taken to the police where the district and divisional commanders commended him.

That, he said, was where the matter ended. 

Asked whether he had contacted the momo vendor, he responded in the affirmative but said the vendor was yet to tell him anything.