One suspected armed robber was gunned down by the police, while another was arrested, after a gang of five robbers raided the Fumesua branch of the Juaben Rural Bank in broad daylight yesterday.
Three others escaped with the cash looted in the raid and the police have mounted a search for them.
Officials of the bank told the Daily Graphic that the armed men could not break into the main vault, but made away with deposits made in the morning, as well as money which customers were about to lodge with the bank.
They said there was no policeman at the bank at the time of the robbery and explained that the bank had been relying on private security men because the police had complained about inadequate men to take charge of security at all the branches of the bank.
Petrified customers and bank staff were ordered by the robbers to lie on the floor as the robbers searched for money.
The Ashanti Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Augustine Gyening, confirming the robbery, said the men attacked the bank about 10 a.m. in what he described as a swift operation.
“But we (the police) acted with dispatch and managed to drop one of them dead, while another was arrested,” he said.
The robbers disarmed the private security man on duty at the bank of his pump action gun and used that gun, together with a pistol they had on them, to fire warning shots as they robbed the bank.
The strongly built deceased robber, whose identity is yet to be known, was shot in the head when he opened fire at the police patrol team that pursued the robbers.
A large number of people thronged the Ashanti Regional Police Headquarters in Kumasi to see the body of the suspected robber.
Mr Gyening said the arrested suspect had denied being part of the gang, having explained that he had only picked the pistol used by the robbers from the group while they were running away.
However, the suspect, whose identity was not disclosed, later told the police that he knew where the fleeing robbers had hidden the cash taken from the bank.
“But he is yet to lead us to the said place,” the regional police chief said.
Giving details, Mr Gyening said the police received a distress call that some armed robbers had attacked the bank.
“When we heard that the robbers had left the bank and were heading towards Kenyasi, we dispatched two patrol teams after them, one using the Parkoso road and the other taking the Antoa road.
“On seeing the patrol team around Abirem, the robbers abandoned the ash-coloured Hyundai Sonata saloon car, with registration number GS 2391-13, which they were using and started running into the bush,” he said.
He said the police pursued them and, in the process, the deceased robber opened fire on the police.
“Our men returned fire and the robber dropped dead, while another was arrested,” he stated.
The police retrieved the pump action gun taken from the security man at the bank, as well as the pistol, cartridges and five mobile phones from the vehicle.
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