Ex-Soldier/Policeman Gang Busted

A policeman and an ex-military officer, who together with two civilians, formed a gang to rob and terrorise members of the public, have been busted. The suspects are Lance Corporal Martin Adjari, 38; Iddrisu Atu, Leading Aircraftman, 31; Agbeko Mannah, 28, a carpenter, and Harrison Tawiah, 36, taxi driver. Their modus operandi was to have Lance Corporal Martin Adjari of the Police Mobile Force and ex-Leading Aircraft man, Iddrisu Atu, in their service uniforms with the two civilians in mufti while operating in a taxi cab driven by Harrison. They would normally arrest their victims and extort money from them after threatening to send them to the Police Headquarters. They especially targeted wee selling and smoking bases. Briefing The Finder in Accra yesterday, the Deputy Accra Regional Commander, DCOP Christian Tetteh Yohuno, said the police had a tip-off on Monday, May 21 that the gang was terrorising civilians around the Madina Institute of Professional Studies (IPS) area. Further investigations had the gang at the Tesano Market area yesterday morning, May 22. DCOP Yohuno said plain-clothed policemen dispatched to the area spotted the gang in the taxi with registration number GE-7537-11 advancing towards the Cargo Station near Achimota. Upon stopping the taxi, the dismissed soldier immediately tore his uniform and that raised the suspicion of the police, who arrested the suspected gang. A cross-check with the military authorities revealed that the ex-soldier was discharged from the Force in 2007, according to the police. Upon interrogation, the suspects confessed to operating from bases around the Achimota forest, Dzorwulu, the IPS area and Adenta. DCOP Yohuno said a man who had fallen victim to the gang told the police yesterday that he had gone to cash $700 from the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) when he saw a taxi following his motorbike. He said after being ordered to stop by the gang, who had crossed him with the taxi, he was handcuffed and had his money snatched from him. He identified Mannah yesterday at the Accra Regional Police Command as the one who played the major role in snatching the money from him. DCOP Yohuno stated that the arrest was part of the Inspector General of Police�s (IGP) police cleansing programme to rid the service of all unscrupulous persons. He cautioned other personnel of the service to be of good behaviour to enhance the image of the service and appealed to anyone who had fallen victim to the gang to report to the Accra Regional Police Command. An AK 47 rifle and a handcuff were retrieved from the suspects.