ROBBERY VICTIM'S VIGILANCE LEADS TO ARREST OF THREE (Page 32)

Story: Nana Konadu Agyeman, Nkawkaw

THE vigilance of a robbery victim has led to the arrest of three men who robbed two households at Nkawkaw at gunpoint and made away with GH¢1,570 and other valuables.
The suspects were arrested on board an Accra bound Nkawkaw vehicle at Mile 7 in Accra after the victim, who was on board, alerted the driver that two armed robbers were on board the vehicle. They are Ahmidu Yakubu, 21, who claims to be a trader, and Kwame Atta alias Osman, 22, a scrap dealer, both residents of Agbogbloshie in Accra, and Kwasi Dom, 29, alias Awudu, a resident of Nkawkaw.
The victim had spotted the two suspected criminals at the Nkawkaw-Accra main lorry park boarding the same vehicle and he alerted the driver.
When the vehicle reached Mile 7 in Accra, the driver informed the passengers that the vehicle had developed a fault and therefore parked it. He quickly informed the police of the presence of the three on the bus, whereupon the police moved in swiftly to arrest the three.
Briefing the Daily Graphic at Nkawkaw on Monday, the Nkawkaw Police Divisional Commander, Chief Superintendent Paul Awini, said on December 30, 2007 at about 1.30 a.m., the three robbers, armed with guns and machetes, attacked a transport operator, Mr Seifa Ntiri, his wife and their six-year-old daughter at his house at Nsutam, a suburb of Nkawkaw.
He said the robbers tied the hands and legs of Mr Ntiri in his sitting room and ordered him to direct them to their bedroom from where they took away GH¢1,500.
Thereafter, Mr Awini said, the robbers took the wife of Mr Ntiri to the bedroom where Kwasi Dom, said to be the architect of the robbery, attempted to rape her but was prevented by his other accomplices after which they took a number of items including two wrist watches, mobile phones and tins of corned beef and sardines.
Chief Superintendent Awini said after the robbery the robbers locked all the doors to the building and fled. The victims were rescued later in the day by neighbours.
The Divisional Commander said that was after the criminals had attacked another household at Kyidom, also a suburb of Nkawkaw.
He said Stephen Antwi, a resident of house number NJ1087, Kyidom, reported to the police that five unidentified men armed with guns and machetes had attacked the house at 11.30 p.m. and made away with a number of valuables including mobile phones and GH¢749.
Chief Superintendent Awini said while travelling to Accra later Mr Ntiri spotted the three on the same bus he boarded and alerted the driver.
According to the Police Commander, when Atta was searched a number of mobile phones, one imported pistol with six rounds of live ammunition and two masks had been concealed in a bag he was carrying.
Ahmidu Yakubu, the second person, was also arrested and when he was searched, a locally-manufactured pistol with two live cartridges was retrieved from him.
Chief Supt Awini said during interrogation, Kwame Attah mentioned Kwasi Dom alias Awudu as the one who invited them from Accra to his plantain farm, near his workshop at Nkawkaw where he brought out the two guns which they used in their operation.