Suspected armed robber lynched at Offinso

"...one of the robbers in the process, bit off the finger of one of the arresting police officers and this attracted..."

Source: GNA  -  Akwasi Wiafe, 26, suspected to be part of a four-member armed robbery gang, was on June 3 lynched by some members of the Offinso Community.

The incident occurred at the Toll booth section of the Kumasi-Techiman highway, where they had 

gone to rob.

On the dawn of the said day, the four armed robbers took advantage of the heavy rains and armed with machetes and face masks, robbed three residents at different locations.

They stole nine mobile phones, a Del laptop, computers and a 42 inch flat Television and an amount of GH Cedis 540.

Mr Edward Oduro-Kwarteng, the Assistant Commissioner of Police, in Charge of the Offinso Police Command told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the victims included Mr P. K. Donkor, a resident of Offinso New Town; Mercy Boakye at Ampabame; and Osei Kwame at Dentin.

He said the robbers were apprehended by a police patrol team on duty at the Toll booth as they tried to escape with the booty in a taxi heading towards Kumasi.

He said one of the robbers in the process, bit off the finger of one of the arresting police officers and this attracted some community’s members, leading to Wiafe being lynched whilst the other accomplices, George Sarfo, 22, and the cab driver, whose name was not given, were arrested.

The police commander said they are now in police custody helping in investigations after which they would be arraigned.

One more unidentified accomplice, however, managed to slip through and is being hunted for by the police.

He said a search conducted in Sarfo’s house retrieved items such as a DVD player, three speakers, a monitor, HP system unit, a Thompson system unit and a Hitachi television.

ACP Oduro-Kwarteng said crime has always been a challenge in that Municipality, which is one of the fastest growing areas in the Region and called on the general public to continue to volunteer information of criminal activities in the area.