TWO SUSPECTED armed-robbers who claimed to be soldiers attached to the 37 Military Hospital have been arrested by the police for robbery.
The suspects, dressed in military uniform, allegedly attacked a victim at Awoshie Junction, a suburb of Accra and consequently led him to his house at Tuba to ransack the place.
Not satisfied, the suspects dragged the victim to his bank at Kwashieman for an additional amount of GH¢50,000 when police had a hint about their actions and arrested them.
They are Issifu Massawudu, 27, an auto mechanic and Edmund Asare Gyasi, an electrician, both from Kasoa.
However, suspect George Laryea, a third supect who also identified himself as a policeman attached to the Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters, managed to escape arrest and is being searched by the police.
Briefing the media last Saturday about the arrest, DSP Emmanuel Osei Agboda, the Odorkor District Crime Officer said the three suspects, including George Laryea, now at large, trailed the victim from Accra to Awoshie junction traffic lights, where they intercepted him with their Benz saloon vehicle.
Suspects Issifu and Edmund Asare who were in full military accoutrements identified themselves to the victim as a military men attached to the 37 Military Hospital while their accomplice, George Laryea, in a civilian attire, said he was from the CID headquarters.
The suspects then told the victim that he was wanted at the CID headquarters to help the police investigate an assault case levelled against him by a woman and went ahead to handcuff him.
The three suspects then led the victim to his house at Tuba, near Kasoa and ransacked his room taking away laptops, mobile phone and some other electrical gadgets belonging to the victim.
Not satisfied, they again demanded an amount of GH¢50,000 from the victim before he was freed.
The victim lured the suspects to his bank at Kwashieman for the money but upon reaching the bank, suspect George Laryea, agreed to follow him inside the banking hall while the two fake soldiers waited in their vehicle outside the bank.
At the bank, the victim whispered into the ear of one of the tellers at the counter that the suspects were robbers who wanted to rob him.
The bank officials intentionally delayed the suspect and the victim and immediately called in the police for assistance.
The fake soldiers were immediately arrested by the police but suspect George Laryea, upon seeing the presence of the police, escaped.
While in custody, another victim (name withheld) who heard of the arrest of the two soldiers also visited the station to identify the suspects as his attackers. He said they had robbed him of an amount GH¢12,000 early that month at an area close to Kotoka International Airport.
According to the second victim, he was leaving for his house from the bank at Kwashieman where he had gone to withdraw the money when suddenly the suspects, in military uniform, kidnapped him into their waiting vehicle and sped off to KIA area.
When they reached a spot within the airport area, according to the second victim, the suspects collected the money from him and pushed him into a gutter and sped off.
Earlier, according to the Odorkor District crime officer, the military police unit was invited to identify the suspects since they claimed to be a dentist and a nurse attached to the 37 Military Hospital, but it turned out that they were not military men.
A search conducted at their Kasoa residence revealed more military accoutrements hidden in their rooms.
The suspects later confessed to the police that they were not soldiers as they had claimed but failed to mention the person who supplied them with the uniforms.
They have been charged with conspiracy to commit crime and robbery, possessing military accoutrements without authority and impersonation.
The three would be sent to court today, according to the police.
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