28 Suspected criminals rounded up in Accra

Twenty-eight suspected criminals have been arrested in three separate swoops in some parts of Accra. The suspects, aged 20 to 36, are believed to be behind robbery attacks on traders and buyers at gunpoint in the central business district (CBD).
They are also suspected to be drug peddlers, bag snatchers, dealers in stolen mobile phones and fraudsters at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
During the exercise, policemen from the Operations Unit of the Accra Regional Police Command also visited crime-prone areas suspected to be dens of criminals.
The areas were Kantamanto-Abuja, Railways, Despite Lane, Tudu, Graphic Road, Farisco, Rawlings Park, Makola, UTC and the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
Target
Briefing journalists in Accra yesterday, the Accra Regional Police Commander, ACP Timothy Yoosa Bonga, said the activities of the suspected criminals were creating a sense of insecurity and fear in the CBD of the city.
He said the exercise, which rolled out on three separate occasions, was targeted at clamping down on criminals who constantly attacked and snatched valuables such as hand bags, mobile phones, wallets, tablets and money from traders and pedestrians.
He said one of the suspects, identified as Yussif Fawzan, 22, was arrested at Accra New Town having on him 500 wrappers of a whitish substance suspected to be cocaine.
Two others arrested at Kantamanto were found to possess a locally made pistol and 98 wrappers of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.
One of them, identified as Kennedy Amponsah, 22, is said to have had the locally made pistol, while Alidu Rashid, 25, had in his possession the wrappers of dried leaves, three pairs of scissors and a knife.
Stolen phones
At the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Mr Bonga said the police arrested some people for allegedly selling stolen mobile phones and other items.
He said the police retrieved 156 assorted mobile phones, including fake ones in the course of the operation.
He urged persons who had fallen victim to the activities of the suspects to contact the police and assist with investigations.
He also advised the public to desist from patronizing stolen goods, a practice which promoted the activities of mobile phone thieves in Accra, saying “such items should be purchased at accredited shops and outlets where receipts can be demanded”.