The Toyota Corolla car abandoned by the robbers
Some masked men in broad daylight yesterday attacked Royal Motors – an automobile company at Industrial Area, North Kaneshie, Accra – and made away with proceeds of the previous day’s sales.
While escaping, the armed men reportedly snatched a Toyota Camry saloon car from its owner after allegedly shooting the driver.
The victim, who was said to have been shot in the shoulder, according to police reports, is receiving treatment at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
Earlier, media reports had indicated that the suspected robbers were about 10 and that two persons got injured.
But the police confirmed in their preliminary investigation that there were four masked men involved and that it was the driver of the Toyota Camry, who was shot.
An eyewitness account at the scene indicated that the incident occurred at about 9:00 am.
According to them, the robbers followed a bullion van that had entered the premises of the company to cart some money to the bank.
At the gate, the suspects, according to the eyewitnesses, told the security man on duty that they were there to make an enquiry, but upon entering the premises, attacked him and seized his mobile phones.
They then proceeded to the main building after asking the security man for direction at gunpoint and ransacked the offices of the accounts, manager and cashier.
“Before the security man could talk, two of the suspects had entered the cashier’s office where an amount of GH¢8,000 was taken, destroyed a CCTV device that was installed in the office before they moved to the accounts office and then to the manager’s, where they shot at the door several times to force it open, entered and took additional unspecified amount of money,” an eyewitness narrated to DAILY GUIDE at the crime scene.
According to him, the damaged CCTV device was also taken away by the robbers in a blue-black Toyota Corolla saloon car with double number plates.
In the course of reversing to escape, the robbers’ vehicle smashed a wine BMW saloon car and the impact left their vehicle’s front tyre damaged and so could not move.
Sensing danger, they reportedly got out of the Toyota Corolla and pointed a gun at the driver of the Toyota Camry, who ‘surrendered’ his car and they escaped with it.
The Greater Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Efia Tenge, confirmed the incident and said the police were piecing the evidences together.
She said the abandoned blue-black Toyota Corolla with double number plates GR 9740-14 and GG 4829-15, believed to have been used to commit the offence, had been retrieved and sent to the regional police headquarters.
By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey