File photo: Crime

The police foiled robbery at the Okpoi Gonno branch of Access Bank by six masked armed men in Accra, last Sunday dawn.

This follows an earlier robbery a month ago, at the same bank, at the Lashibi branch, where unspecified amount of cash was robbed from the bank’s vault by six suspected armed men.

Two pump action guns and 100 rounds of AK ammunition were retrieved by the police and five people arrested.

The robbers, who went to the Okpoi Gonno branch but were unable to steal from the bank caused damage to Close Circuit Television Cameras, Automated Teller Machine, vault and alarm systems in the bank.

Two private security personnel (names withheld), who were reportedly on duty, were tied up by the robbers and have been invited by the police to assist in investigations.

The Crime Officer of the Accra Regional Police Command, Chief Superintendent (Chief Supt) Adama Seidu, confirmed the foiled robbery by the police at the bank to the Ghanaian Times, in Accra yesterday.

He said on November 15, 2020, at about 2:00 am, police patrol team on their normal routine duties got to the bank area and spotted images at the banking premises.

Chief Supt Seidu said on suspicion the police personnel went into the bank and saw two private security personnel tied at the bank premises.

He said they untied them and when questioned, they told the police six armed men entered through the burglar-proof of the back door of the bank and entered the hall and other offices to rob.

Chief Supt Seidu said according to the private security personnel, the robbers on seeing the police personnel approaching abandoned their mission and climbed a ladder and escaped.

He said a team of personnel from the Crime Scene Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department has since taken fingerprints at the crime scene.

Chief Supt Seidu said the police have mounted a search for the arrest of the suspects.

He said investigations into the case were ongoing and called on the public to provide reliable information to the police to arrest the suspects.