Corporal Raymond Amegashie
A police corporal and his three accomplices, who allegedly robbed a supermarket at Nungua in Accra, have been remanded into custody by an Accra Circuit Court, presided over by Aboagye Tandoh.
Corporal Raymond Amegashie, who is with the Tema SWAT Unit – believed to be the leader of the robbery gang – managed to escape after the robbery incident but was later arrested at Tsopoli Barrier on his way to the Volta Region.
The other three – Ibrahim Ayirebo, motor rider; Bright Dorkanu, mechanic and Stanley Akorli, driver – were arrested at Abbatoir, a police snap checkpoint, on December 12, 2017, when they tried to escape in a taxi with registration number GX 9514 – 14.
Corporal Raymond Amegashie on the night of the robbery reportedly left his duty post at Glotec Ghana Limited, where he was detailed to guard, with his AK47 rifle and 20 rounds of ammunition.
He reportedly joined the other suspects and drove to Nungua where they allegedly attacked the supermarket, near the Agricultural Development Bank amidst sporadic firing of gunshots.
They allegedly made away with GH¢45,000 and $1,000.
Corporal Amegashie and his accomplices drove off towards Tema in the taxi which was being driven by Stanley, but were intercepted at the Abattoir police checkpoint and the cop managed to escape.
Upon their arrest, the police retrieved an amount of GH¢19,500 and $600 from the suspects.
The four are facing two counts of conspiracy and robbery to which they all pleaded not guilty.
The judge, Mr Tandoh, remanded them into custody to allow police investigations into the matter.
They will reappear on January 4, 2018.
Facts
Chief Inspector Kwabena Adu, presenting the facts of the case in court, said the four suspects planned to go on a robbery expedition.
He said the cop abandoned his post with his duty rifle and met up with one suspect – Ibrahim Ayirebo – also wielding a pistol.
He told the court that upon getting to the supermarket, Corporal Amegashie, Ibrahim Ayirebo and Bright Dorkanu alighted from the taxi and entered the supermarket amidst sporadic firing of gunshots, robbed the operator of the supermarket of an amount of GH¢45,000 and US$1,000.
Chief Inspector Adu narrated that the suspects, after the robbery, took with them their booty, boarded the taxi and headed towards Tema.
He said the operator of the supermarket later made a report and the accused persons, in their bid to escape, were grabbed at the Tema Community 18 Abattoir snap checkpoint.
According to the prosecutor, Ibrahim Ayirebo, Bright Dorkanu and Stanley Akorli were arrested in the taxi but the cop managed to escape with his AK47 rifle.
He said upon the arrest of the three, GH¢19,500 and $600 were retrieved from them.
Chief Inspector Adu told the court that Corporal Raymond Amegashie, who spent the night at the Tema motorway, near the Aflao Station, returned his duty rifle the following day and in his attempt to escape to the Volta Region, was arrested at the Tsopoli Police Barrier and handed over to the police for investigations.
By Gibril Abdul Razak