Three police officers – two stationed at the Weija District and the other attached to the Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) headquarters – are currently under investigation for allegedly giving out their guns to suspected armed robbers for a fee of GH¢1,500.
The cops were identified as Corporals Simon Osei, Stanley Mensah and Emmanuel Takyi-Mensah.
Sources said the three police personnel were picked up when the suspected armed robbers, currently in police custody, got involved in an accident while escaping from a robbery operation.
Police sources indicated that the incident occurred on Saturday, April 21, 2018 at Kokrobitey Junction in Accra.
A taxi from Kasoa direction and heading towards Accra somersaulted and landed into a ditch.
Immediately after the accident, two police personnel arrived at the scene not to rescue the accident victims, but to pick an AK 47 rifle and its magazine and left.
Passersby and other witnesses were amazed by the action of the personnel and started complaining.
The sources said a retired police officer later appeared at the scene and after he had been told of the accident and the action of the cops, felt it was not normal and reported to the Anti-Armed Robbery Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for investigation to be conducted into the incident.
They claimed that it was the same retired police officer, who assisted to transport the victims to the Police Hospital for treatment.
While at the hospital, the victims reportedly confessed that they rented the guns from the police officers, adding that they rented weapons from them anytime they needed them (weapons) for their operations.
According to a source, “They said on that fateful day, they were returning from Accra after an operation when their vehicle got involved in an accident.”
Through investigations, the Anti-Armed Robbery Unit arrested the three cops for interrogation.
By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey
(lindatenyah@gmail.com)