Courageous trotro driver knocks down suspected robbers

The courageous decision by a commercial vehicle (trotro) driver led to the arrest of two suspected robbers who attempted to escape from a scene of robbery at Sowutuom, a suburb of Accra, yesterday.

The driver (name withheld for security reasons), who was driving a Nissan Urvan mini bus loaded with passengers, courageously knocked down the two suspected robbers as they tried to escape on a motorbike.

However, in the process, his vehicle lost balance, veered off the road and landed on its side.

The suspects, who also fell into an open drain and sustained injuries, were subsequently arrested by the police, who had arrived at the scene, with the support of some bystanders.

Some of the passengers on board the trotro who sustained injuries were sent to the Akawe Government Hospital, near Mccarthy Hill, while others, including the alleged robbers, were taken to the Police Hospital.

Briefing

Briefing the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Accra Regional Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mrs Effia Tenge, said a police patrol team on duty was alerted to a robbery at Antieku, an area within Sowutuom.

She said when the team arrived at the scene, they found the robbers in an open drain, while the passengers were struggling to come out of the trotro.

DSP Tenge said preliminary information gathered at the scene indicated that the suspects had attacked a fruit seller in the area about 5 a.m. yesterday, after which they jumped onto their motorbike to escape.

When he spotted the rider and his colleague on the bike, the driver increased his speed and hit the motorbike in the process.

The suspects fell into a nearby open drain, while the vehicle veered off the road, with the passengers on board sustaining injuries.