Police in the Bolgatanga Municipality on Saturday arrested one Salifu Mohammed, 24, after he had engaged some police officers in an exchange of gunfire at Soe, a suburb of the municipality.
The suspect, believed to be a member of an armed robbery gang terrorising the people of the Bolgatanga Municipality, is on admission at a health facility under heavy security after sustaining gunshot wounds from the police.
According to the police, on Saturday, June 26 at about 1:30pm, an unknown caller informed them that two young men were in the process of snatching a motorbike from the owner at gunpoint along the Bolgatanga-Navrongo trunk road.
Personnel of the Regional Police Emergency Patrol Team dashed to the area but upon seeing the police from a distance the two armed robbers, wielding a locally manufactured pistol and a dagger, left their target and jumped onto an unregistered motorbike parked near the action point and sped off.
Officers of the Regional Police Emergency Patrol Team chased the two and on reaching Soe, the pillion rider whose name is not yet known, jumped off the speeding motorbike and succeeded in escaping.
Police continued to pursue the lone rider who happened to be Salifu Mohammed, and when he (the suspect) realised the police was getting so close to him, he started shooting at them but he was eventually overpowered.
Police retrieved his pistol which had a live bullet in it. He also had a knife hidden on the motorbike and a live bullet in his pocket.
The Police Administration in the Upper East Region has commended the unknown caller for the timely information, and called on the public to be vigilant and be each other’s keeper at all times and be ready to help the police with information on criminals and their activities in their communities.
FROM: Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Bolgatanga