The Obuasi East Police Patrol Team in the Ashanti Region is currently holding one Lance Corporal Opoku Eric, 27, who claims to be a soldier stationed at Airborne -Tamale with staff ID No.AB699021.
The suspect currently on operations duty at Bawku and on fourteen (14) days leave was arrested at a mining site at Nyamesom near Kwabenakwa for attempted robbery.
The suspect, as gathered with three others on the run, well dressed in military uniforms, all wearing ‘Jalabia’ a long Muslim dress, on top of their, uniforms, armed with a pump action gun, knives, and other offensive weapons had entered their mining site at Nyamesom near Kwabenakwa, amidst gunshots.
The Police when had the information quickly rushed to the scene and met the caller, Kingsley Akoyie, and other civilians numbering over twenty (20) who had arrested one of the soldiers.
A Police source confirmed that the suspect further stated that, he and three other soldiers, he mentioned as Musa Jafa of Tema Naval Base, went to the said mining site to look for ‘chop money’ that they gave a “warning shot” to scare the workers and they took to their heels.
He added that he and his colleagues took hostage the excavator operator at the site, but luck eluded him, and was arrested by the miners and handed him over to the police whilst his colleagues escaped.
Subsequently, the Police took the soldier from the civilians, arrested and brought him to the Obuasi District Headquarters.
Meanwhile he has been detained for further investigations as efforts are being made to apprehend the other suspects.
-BY Daniel Bampoe