<<Print>>

A suspected armed robber has been shot dead in a shoot-out between him and the police at Buduburam, near Kasoa in the Central Region. The suspect, identified as Abas Salifu, 23, alias Elephant, is said to have been on the wanted list of the Kasoa Police for the past three years due to his involvement in a number of robberies and other crimes in Kasoa and its environs. Three other members of his gang are currently on the run. Although the gang members do not wear masks when they attack their victims they are noted for wearing wigs and inflicting machete wounds on their victims. In some cases, female victims were sexually assaulted. The Kasoa Police, who have been tracking the leader of the gang, described as �notorious and a dread� since the beginning of August, 2014, gunned down Salifu in his girlfriend�s house at the Liberia Camp, Buduburam. Suspect resurfaces Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Kasoa District Police Commander, Superintendent of Police, Samuel Tibil Punobyin, said the incident happened at about 12 noon on August 23, 2014. He said Salifu, who was wanted for a series of crimes, �went into hiding and resurfaced recently to start his nefarious acts again. In about a fortnight we started recording crimes committed by men whose description by victims suited that of Salifu and his gang�. Based on intelligence, the police had information that Salifu was in the house of his girlfriend with whom he had a four-year-old child, to warn her on suspicion that she was leaking information on his movements to the police. �On seeing the police, he started firing,� Mr Punobyin said, and added that during the exchange of fire, the police managed to shoot Salifu, who died instantly, after which he was identified by some of his victims. Victims� ordeal Citing some of the reported cases against Salifu and his gang, Mr Punobyin said on August 16, 2014, four unidentified men wearing wigs attacked a businessman, Mr Samuel Kwame Asare, in his house. After inflicting machete wounds on him, the gang allegedly made away with mobile phones, unspecified cash and other items. The following day, the police received information that four men wearing wigs had attacked a resident of Crispo City in Kasoa, Mr De Hans Anyan. The gang inflicted machete wounds on him and made away with his mobile phones and money. Mr Bernard Lord Ababio was also attacked in his house on August 22, 2014 at Budumburam by four men in wigs who claimed they had been contracted to kill him. The police said the gang did not touch any of his personal items but rather, inflicted wounds on him with their machetes.