Accra: Gang of Four Bank Robbers Busted

Four persons suspected to have broken into some financial institutions and mobile telephone retail shops in Accra and made away with cash and various items running into thousands of Ghana cedis, have been busted by the police. They are 47-year-old self-styled businessman, Kwaku Boateng aka chairman; Bright Owusu, 27; Michael Ofori, 28, a mechanic and Latif Musah, 25, a footballer. They have since been remanded into police custody by an Accra circuit court while police investigations into the matter continue. The four were said to have pleaded not guilty to six charges leveled against them, which include conspiracy, unlawful entry and stealing. ASP Steven Adjei, the prosecutor in-charge of the case, told the court on Monday that the gang, led by Kwaku Boateng, succeeded in stealing a total amount of GH¢77,800.00 from the institutions that they robbed.

The activities of the gang came to the notice of the police in the last quarter of 2015, when the command received a number of reports from several districts in Accra. According to the prosecutor, between November 23, 2015 and February 3, this year, the gang broke into several financial institutions and mobile telephone retail shops at Dzorwulu, Nyamekye, Nii Boi Town, Abeka and Aplaku and made away with several thousands of Ghana cedis.

ASP Adjei said the gang in one instance, took away the entire table top safe from the premises of one of the financial institutions that they attacked. He said during police investigation, it came to light that Kweku Boateng, together with one Samuel Lakotey Lartey (now at Large) in February 2013, broke into two rural banks in Accra and made away with the sum of GH¢50,000.

Whilst on court bail, Kweku Boateng ganged up with the current group to continue with the same crime, the prosecutor averred. The accused persons, in their caution statement to the police, confessed that they used a special key to open the locks to the financial institutions and the mobile phone shops. ASP Adjei said they also told the police that they occasionally broke the padlocks and other locking devices if it became difficult to open the doors of their target facilities with their special keys to gain access into them.