An alleged notorious criminal who has been on the police wanted list for almost a year has finally been arrested by the Ashanti Regional Police Command.
The suspect, identified as Baba Musah, who is said to have been involved in many robbery cases in the Kumasi metropolis, was arrested in Nkawkaw last Sunday, November 30, 2014 following a tip-off.
Briefing the press in Kumasi yesterday, the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mr Kofi Boakye, said Musah’s arrest had brought to an end months of search for one of the dreaded criminals in the metropolis.
Crimes
Musah is alleged to be the brain behind the robbery of the gold miner and businessman, Maxwell Ibn Weniakem, his wife, Evelyn, and their guest, Kwadwo Marfo, a popular radio presenter in Kumasi who was shot in his legs, at Nkoranza.
In that incident, Musah and his accomplices are alleged to have made away with GH¢24,000, a Nokia mobile phone and a pistol from Weniakem’s car.
According to the police commander, there were currently four cases under investigation in which Musah was the prime suspect.
His arrest, he explained, would bring to closure some of the cases that had been under investigations for some time.
Musah was first arrested by the Asawasi Police in 2012 but was later discharged after he had been put before court.
He is said to have gone underground after his discharge.
Mr Boakye appealed to the public, particularly those who had fallen victim to Musah’s robberies, to report to the police.
He assured the victims of protection to ensure that the police put up a strong case to secure Musah’s conviction.
Military
In a related development, the police have arrested six suspects, including three soldiers from Burma Camp in Accra, for their alleged involvement in two robberies at mining sites in Nyinahin and Manso Nkwanta.
The soldiers are Lance Corporal (L/Cpl) Michael Baffour, with service number 198181; L/Cpl Samuel Aboagye, No 198866, and L/Cpl Aboagye Dacosta, No 19908.
Their civilian accomplices are Kennedy Frimpong, Denis Kusi and Jonathan Yeboah.
They were arrested on December 1, 2014 by the Nyinahin Police who had been monitoring their activities.
Mr Boakye said on November 16, 2014, the suspects attacked a mining site belonging to Richmond Osei, a small-scale miner at Manso Tontokrom, near Manso Nkwanta, where they beat up the workers and made away with GHc17,000, 408 grammes of gold, valued at GHc44,700, three pump action guns and a Toyota Hilux pick-up, with registration number GT 2285-13.
Robbery
About 2:30 p.m. on November 30, 2014, the same suspects, armed with guns, went on a robbery spree at various mining sites in Nyinahin and Manso Nkwanta in the Ashanti Region.
The police said the robbers rented a Toyota Land Cruiser, with registration number GS 2450-12, from a car rental company in Kumasi and embarked on their robbery venture.
Armed with an AK47 assault rifle with 30 rounds of ammunition and a foreign pistol with five rounds of ammunition, Mr Boakye said, the group went to the Prime Gem Ltd, a small-scale mining site at Afipaye, near Nyinahin, and attacked the workers.
They broke into the safe and made away with a quantity of gold concentrate in a container.
When the police received information about the activities of the suspects, they monitored and arrested them.
A search in the robbers’ vehicle revealed the plastic bag containing the gold dust, nine different mobile phones and GHc210.
According to the regional commander, when the suspects were brought to the Ashanti Regional CID Office, Richmond Osei, whose mining site had earlier been attacked by the same men, identified the soldiers as those who had come to attack him and his workers.
He said the suspects would soon be put before court on charges of conspiracy to commit crime and robbery.
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(Selorm) | 
(Nana Kwesi)