Two suspected armed robbers have been arrested by the police in connection with yesterday dawn robbery attack on a bank at Lashibi in Accra.
The names of the suspects have been given as Prince Ankrah and Albert Buckson, while two pump action guns and 100 rounds of AK 47 ammunitions were also discovered by the police in an Urvan bus a few metres from the crime scene.
In addition, the police arrested three private security personnel on duty at the bank when the incident occurred.
Some unspecified amount of money, DAILY GUIDE learnt, was robbed from the bank by the hoodlums, after they had succeeded in breaking into the vault lock containing the cash.
The five suspects are currently in the custody of the Accra Regional Police Command assisting with police interrogation.
Confirming the attack to DAILY GUIDE, the Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Effia Tenge, said yesterday at about 2:00am, some unidentified armed men numbering about six attacked and robbed the bank (name withheld) at Lashibi.
She said the robbers fired into the vault lock containing the money and chiselled the wall to the vault to gain access and stole some unspecified amount of money from the safe.
“However, gunshots from the scene attracted a police patrol team operating in the area and when they moved to the direction where the gun was fired, they realised that it was a robbery attack,” DSP Tenge indicated.
She revealed that the armed men escaped amid firing of weapons when they realised that the police were approaching.
“A search at the scene led to the retrieval of an electric cutter, chisel, harmer, 11 live 9mm ammunition, and one round of spent ammunition,” she indicated.
She said, “An extension of police search within the enclave led to the arrest of suspects Prince Ankrah and Albert Buckson who were found in a parked taxi cab with the engine on few metres from the scene, and are suspected to be on surveillance linked to the robbery.”
DSP Tenge said reinforcement patrol teams to the robbery scene also intercepted an Urvan bus suspected to be linked to the same robbery, but its occupants escaped when they saw the police approaching.
The PRO maintained that when the Urvan bus was searched, the police retrieved the two pump action guns and about 100 rounds of live AK47 ammunitions concealed in a bag under the seat.
She confirmed that the two suspects and the three private security persons who were on duty at the time of the incident and the Urvan have been brought to the Regional Police Command while the police investigate the matter.
By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey