Policeman, three others arrested for armed robbery

Four suspected armed robbers, including a policeman, have been busted after they attacked and robbed a supermarket at Nungua in Accra last Tuesday night.

While three of the alleged robbers were arrested at a police snap checkpoint in the Abattoir area, the policeman, identified as Corporal Raymond Amegashie of the Tema Police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Unit, was arrested at the Tsopoli Barrier when he was on his way to the Volta Region at 7 a.m.

 At the time of his arrest, he was in a pair of police trousers and boots and a civilian shirt.

He later led the police to retrieve two AK 47 assault rifles and some of the cash stolen from the Asante Supermarket, near the Agricultural Development Bank at Nungua.

The other suspects have been identified by the police as Ibrahim Ayirebo, Bright Dorkanu and Stanley Akorli.

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Cash retrieved

An amount of GH¢45,000 allegedly stolen by the suspects from the supermarket has been retrieved.

A taxi, with registration number GX 9514-13, which the suspects used for the operation has also been impounded.

Briefing the Daily Graphic on Wednesday, the Accra Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police Mr George Alex Mensah, said about 9:30 p.m. last Tuesday, four armed men on board a Toyota Corolla taxi, with registration number  GX 9514-13, attacked the Asante Supermarket and robbed the owner of GH¢45,000, amid sporadic firing.

He said the suspects bolted after the robbery, but the police, who had received a distress call, gave them a chase.

Mr Mensah said the suspects were intercepted at a snap checkpoint around the Accra Abattoir.

According to him, one of the suspects, who was later identified to be Amegashie, managed to escape.

Amount

He said GH¢19,500, $600 and a pistol with six rounds of ammunition were retrieved from suspects Ibrahim Ayirebo, Dorkanu and Akorli.

The Accra Regional Police Commander said during interrogation, the suspects mentioned Cpl Amegashie, alleged to be a policeman, as the suspect who had escaped with an unspecified amount of money and two AK 47 rifles.

According to him, Cpl Amegashie was later arrested following a tip-off.

He said the four suspects were in custody, while the exhibits had been retained to facilitate investigations.