Armed Robbers Subject Chinese To Severe Beatings...Some Suspected To Be Soldiers

Suspected armed robbers, some of whom are believed to be soldiers, allegedly invaded the Hansol Mines, a small-scale gold mining company at Jacobu in the Amansie Central District in the Ashanti Region, on Saturday. They made away with gold, cash and mobile phones. The robbers also subjected about 10 Chinese men working at the site to severe beatings. Four of the suspected armed robbers have been arrested but the police did not disclose their identities. Speaking to the Daily Graphic on phone from Jacobu, the District Police Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mr Prince Odum Kodua, said police had information on Saturday afternoon that armed robbers had attacked the mining company. Consequently, the district command dispatched men to the area. The armed men were said to have run into the bush when police arrived at the scene. In the process they abandoned a Ford 4x4 vehicle which they had used in the operation. The police managed to drive the vehicle to the Jacobu Police Station to aid their investigations. Moments later, four men came to the police station claiming ownership of the vehicle and they were arrested to assist in the investigations. The site manager of the company, Mr Evans Adropa, who also spoke to the Daily Graphic on phone said the attack was so scary.�The robbers fired warning shots and everybody was scared,� he said,adding that the robbers entered the premises of the company at about 12.15 p.m. on Saturday. �They were eight in number and four of them were in military uniform,� he said. He stated that the security man at the site run into the bush after the robbers threatened to kill him while they fired warning shots. According to Mr Adropa, he made a phone call to the police at Jacobu, and they quickly responded.