The four civillian accomplices
The Kaneshie Police have uncovered a car snatching syndicate in Accra, led by two policemen attached to the Accra Regional Special Weapons and Tactics Unit (SWAT). Four other civilians were also arrested for allegedly snatching vehicles from their owners.
The police officers are General Corporal Bismarck Ntim aka Striker, 32 years old and General Lance Corporal, Francis Opoku Gyau, 29.
Their alleged civilian accomplices are Michael Adjei Donkor aka Abrafie, 36, a driver; Nana Ntim Gyakari aka Nana Okyere, 28-year-old social worker;  George Eshun aka Kofi, 29, businessman and  Urey Harris Koufi, 32, also businessman.
The vehicles retrieved
However, one of their accomplices believed to be a National Security Operative and leader of the gang, Erasmus Adama Nketia, is yet to be arrested.
Seven of the stolen cars sold to unsuspecting persons in Cape Coast in the Central Region have so far been recovered by the police but two of them had been re-sprayed into a private colour with fake number plates.
The cars are Nissan Versa, Nissan Almera, Mitsubishi Carrisma, Hyundai Atos, Daewoo Kalos, Kia Picanto and Mazda Demio – all bearing fake number plates – together with the two cars robbed at Kaneshie.
Modus Operandi
Briefing the media, the Accra Regional Police Commander, ACP Timothy Yoosa Bonga, said the suspects, who work as a team, often send their civilian counterparts to hire the services of taxi drivers from Kumasi and Agona Swedru in the Ashanti and the Central Regions respectively to an arranged and agreed location.
On reaching the location, the passenger (their accomplice) will tell the driver to stop for him to collect money from a friend before they continue the journey.
While in the taxi waiting, the two police officers, together with the National Security Operative, using another vehicle, will come over and arrest the occupants of the vehicle for committing an unknown offence.
The arresting officers – often in police trousers and plain shirts – will handcuff the victims to an unknown location.
While on the way, their arrested accomplice will then confess to them through questioning that the taxi driver is innocent.
The suspects, according to ACP Yoosa Bonga, after receiving signal from their other counterparts that the vehicle had been relocated, then leave the driver to go to their preferred location.
On July 15, 2016, at about 4:30 pm, Michael Donkor allegedly hired the services of a taxi driver (name withheld) who was then driving a Kia Picanto with registration number GW 7087-15 from Agona Swedru to Accra at a fee of GH¢180.
On arrival in Accra around 8:30 pm, Michael Donkor reportedly instructed the victim to drive to Cocoa Clinic at Kaneshie for Erasmus Adama, who is his boss, to pay the fare.
Upon their arrival at the Clinic, Erasmus met them and engaged them in a confrontation over the fare charged.
ACP Yoosa Bonga said while they were still arguing, the two police officers emerged in a private Nissan Almera with an unregistered number to arrest them.
The two police officers accused the three – the driver, Erasmus and Michael Donkor – of being criminals, handcuffed them and led them to their Nissan Almera, leaving the taxi with the ignition key.
On the way the police officers interrogated Donkor and accused him of being a criminal and the taxi driver his accomplice.
In defence, Michael Donkor told the policemen that the taxi driver was innocent and so Erasmus Adama Nketia pleaded that they allow him withdraw money from an MTN vendor to pay him (driver) before they set him free.
They then drove to the Awudome Roundabout where they withdrew GH¢600 from an MTN vendor but the four suspects failed to pay the driver.
He was later left at an unknown location, and with the help of a Good Samaritan, the driver managed to go back to the Cocoa Clinic where his car was left.
ACP Yoosa Bonga said that upon his arrival at the Clinic, he (driver) realized that the car had been moved and reported the case to the Kaneshie Police.
On August 2, 2016 the suspects, with the same modus operandi, succeeded in robbing another taxi driver at North Industrial Area in Accra.
Investigations later led to the arrest of Michael Donkor who admitted the offence and mentioned the others, including the two policemen, as his accomplices.
Further investigations led to the arrest of Nana George Eshun and Nana Ntim Gyakari Agyekum in Cape Coast.
Investigations are still ongoing.
By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey