The Suntreso Police in Kumasi, in collaboration with their Kasoa counterparts, have arrested a 37-year-old sand winner who is said to have stolen eight taxis.
The suspect, Alex Owusu, was arrested on August 11, 2020, through police intelligence at Kasoa and was conveyed to Kumasi.
He is said to have stolen the taxis from drivers and then either sold them outright or gave them out to other drivers on a work-and-pay basis.
The acts were recorded within an eight-month period, starting from January 2020.
The suspect is currently in police custody in Kumasi assisting in investigations after which he would be arraigned.
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So far, all the eight taxis have been retrieved from Akwatia, Nsawam and Asamankase in the Eastern Region, and Kasoa and Bawjiase in the Central Region.
Briefing the press, the Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Godwin Ahianyo, said Owusu started his operation early this year and the police had since been on his trail until his arrest at Kasoa last Tuesday.
He said Owusu usually engaged the services of the taxis from Tarkwa, Obuasi and Nkawkaw and their environs for supposed spare parts purchases for his faulty excavator at Suame Magazine in Kumasi.
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ASP Ahianyo said because Owusu was always ready to part with huge sums of money, the drivers were usually lured by the juicy deal to send him to Kumasi.
He said per his modus operandi, when they arrived in Kumasi, “he would convince the drivers to have the taxi washed at a washing bay and let the driver accompany him to Suame Magazine to buy the parts for his excavator”.
ASP Ahianyo explained that after taking the driver to the Suame Magazine, he would ask him to wait while he rushed to the bank to withdraw some money, “but would rather rush to the washing bay to pick the taxi and run away with it”.
He said the suspect had been using the same modus operandi to steal the taxis from their drivers since January this year until his arrest.
Appeal
ASP Ahianyo appealed to members of the public whose taxis might have been stolen under similar circumstances to contact the Suntreso District Police to assist in the investigation.
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