Two officers of the Ghana Police Service have been named as the leaders of the numerous robbery attacks on bullion vans after months of serious investigations.
Recently, there has been a spate of robberies targeting bullion vans, particularly in the Greater Accra Region.
Despite the fact that the identity of the two officers is presently unknown, the police administration has praised the development as a big breakthrough in the fight against bullion van robbery attacks.
Intelligence-led operations
A statement dated March 7, 2022, signed by the Director of Police Public Affairs, Superintendent of Police, Mr Alexander Kwaku Obeng said the Ghana Police Service, after several months of painstaking intelligence-led operations at the highest level, had made a major breakthrough in the investigations into multiple bullion van robberies recorded in the Greater Accra.
It listed the robbery attacks investigated as including the attack on a bullion van near Kingsway, in February 2021 and in Baatsona, Spintex, in March 2021.
The third robbery attack investigated took place in Jamestown, Adedenkpo, in June 2021 and the recent attempted robbery at North Kaneshie Industrial Area, in February 2022.
It said preliminary investigations established the involvement of the two policemen among a number of other suspects.
The police indicated that investigations were still ongoing and that it would soon bring all culpable persons involved in such crimes to face justice.
It assured the public that the Ghana Police Service would continue to work hard to rid the country of criminal activities that disturb the peace and stability of the nation.
Background
In the first half of 2021, the police recorded four bullion van attacks across the country.
In three of the incidents, the robbers bolted with cash on board the vehicles.
In two of the cases, the police officers escorting the van lost their lives.
On January 18, some highway robbers numbering about 10, attacked a bullion van which, was traveling on the Adansi Fomena road in the Ashanti Region and made away with an amount of GH¢500,000.
The driver of the vehicle, with registration number GT 543-19, survived while the police officer escorting the van was killed, and his AK47 assault rifle stolen.
On March 1, a bullion van was robbed on the Spintex Road at Baatsona near the Danpong Hospital by some armed men numbering about four.
The driver of the bullion van and one official from the bank escaped while the escorting police officer was assaulted by the robbers.
The robbers broke into the van and escaped with the money.
In June there were two bullion van attacks within three days.
The first incident happened on June 14 at Adedenkpo near James Town in Accra.
A police officer escorting the van and a woman were killed while the driver of the vehicle sustained serious injuries and the robbers bolted with the money.
The second was on June 17 while passengers in a bullion van with registration number GN 6956- 17 were attacked on the Winneba-Accra highway.
The unknown assailants shot at the van at the Okyereko and Dominase portion of the Winneba-Accra stretch.
Aside from the driver, the van was occupied by two policemen with an amount of ¢550,000 on board.
The policemen escaped the gunshots and were rescued by the Winneba Divisional Police who escorted them back to Accra.
The last incident was foiled by the police when some robbers attempted to attack a bullion van in North Kaneshie Industrial Area in Accra.
The attack was foiled after a police officer who was on duty nearby intervened during the attempted robbery on a bullion van.
While the robbers were fleeing the scene, they fired indiscriminately.
Three people sustained various degrees of injuries and they were admitted to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for treatment.
