Alex Owusu
THE SUNTRESO District Police Command in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region has arrested a 37-year-old man, Alex Owusu, for his alleged involvement in the stealing of taxi cars within the Kumasi metropolis.
He is currently in police custody assisting investigators to unravel the circumstances under which he allegedly dispossessed cabbies of their cars. Eight car owners are said to have fallen victim to his operations.
ASP Godwin Ahianyo, Public Relations Officer of the Ashanti Regional Police Command, said the police, acting upon intelligence, arrested Owusu on Monday, August 11.
According to ASP Ahianyo, the suspect reportedly stole the taxi cabs from places like Obuasi, Nkawkaw, Tarkwa and other towns after hiring them.
He said Owusu would hire the taxi under the pretext of either coming to Kumasi to buy excavator parts from Suame Magazine or going to visit his sick mother in Kumasi.
However, having arrived in Kumasi, the suspect would convince his victims to have their vehicles washed at washing bays and then persuade them to leave the car with the bay attendant and accompany him to Suame Magazine to buy the supposed excavator parts.
While at Suame Magazine, the suspect would inform his victims to wait for him to withdraw money from the bank, but he would cunningly return to the washing bay, take the key and escape with the car.
The Police PRO said Owusu usually drove the cars to towns like Adeiso, Akwatia and Nsawam in the Eastern Region, including Bawjiase and Kasoa in the Central Region, and offered them for sale or engaged in work-and-pay business.
ASP Ahianyo said cases of the suspect’s nefarious activities were reported to the police and with the assistance of the Kasoa District Police Command, they managed to apprehend him in Kumasi.
Meanwhile, investigations by the police have led to the retrieval of eight of such vehicles, some of which are Toyota Corolla, Hyundai, Daewoo Matrix Taxi Cab, which are all in the custody of the Suntreso District Police Command.
The regional police command believes that the suspect is not working alone but might have accomplices after finding out that the number of plates he fixed on the retrieved vehicles were fake.
The police are, therefore, appealing to victims of such cases to report to the Suntreso District command or to the places they have reported cases of that nature to assist in investigations.
Besides, ASP Ahianyo cautioned the general public, especially taxi drivers, to be mindful of passengers they pick and the juicy proposals they offer in order to avoid falling prey to car snatchers.
FROM David Afum, Kumasi