By Kamal Ahmed
Tema, July 25, GNA- Calls are mounting for Inspector-General of Police Mr Christian Tetteh Yohuno and President John Dramani Mahama to honour a Ghanaian man for his exceptional bravery.
The man pursued and helped apprehend a suspected member of a four-man robbery gang in Tema after the group allegedly stole a large but undisclosed sum of money from a victim.
The man, identified only as Mr Ebenezer for security reasons, reportedly chased the suspects in his BMW after they allegedly stole a large but undisclosed sum of money from a vehicle near the Tema Harbour in the Tema Metropolis of the Greater Accra Region.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in a telephone interview, Mr Ebenezer said he was at a bank attending to personal business when he suddenly heard people shouting, “Thief! Thief!”
He said he was informed that a group of suspected robbers had allegedly stolen money from a vehicle and fled in a black Toyota RAV4 with registration number AS 7268-21.
According to him, he saw police officers on motorbikes and the driver of a Ford Raptor pursuing the suspects towards the GTBank area at Community One, Tema.
He said the pursuit was, however, abandoned after the officers and the Ford Raptor driver lost sight of the suspects’ vehicle and returned.
Mr Ebenezer said he then offered to assist the victim by asking him to join him in his BMW so they could continue searching for the suspects and identify the vehicle if they spotted it.
He said that, being familiar with the Tema area, he eventually spotted the black Toyota RAV4 on the opposite side of the road in heavy traffic.
“The vehicle was being driven hurriedly on the shoulders of the road in an attempt to flee. The victim identified it as the one used by the suspected robbers,” he said.
Mr Ebenezer said he immediately pursued the vehicle, manoeuvring through traffic along the shoulders of the road.
He said that although they passed police officers stationed at a traffic point, the pursuit continued without the officers joining the chase.
According to him, the suspects later realised they were being followed, made a U-turn and sped away.
“Despite driving a manual BMW while the suspects were in an automatic vehicle, I refused to give up the chase,” he said.
Mr Ebenezer said the pursuit ended when the suspects drove into a pile of sand believed to have been deposited by the roadside for construction works.
As the suspects attempted to free their vehicle, he said he rammed up the rear of the Toyota RAV4, forcing it into a nearby gutter, causing one of its front tyres to burst.
According to him, three of the suspects immediately abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot with the undisclosed amount of money, while he and the victim managed to apprehend one of them.
With the assistance of an Okada rider, Mr Ebenezer said they restrained the suspect until police officers from the Community Five area arrived at the scene.
The officers subsequently conveyed the suspect to the Community Two Police Station.
The other three suspects reportedly escaped and are currently being pursued by the police.
Mr Ebenezer alleged that the gang might have been monitoring customers who withdrew large sums of money from banks before following them to their destinations to carry out robberies.
The arrested suspect is currently in police custody and is assisting with investigations as police intensify efforts to identify and apprehend the three other suspected gang members.
Meanwhile, calls are growing for the IGP and President Mahama to personally recognise and commend Mr Ebenezer for what many have described as an act of exceptional bravery and civic responsibility.
His intervention has attracted public praise amid growing concerns over robbery and other violent crimes.
Mr Ebenezer’s BMW reportedly sustained damage during the pursuit.
GNA
Edited by D. I. Laary/Audrey Dekalu
Reporter: Kamal Ahmed
Email: [email protected]