The Accra Regional Police Command has rounded up eight persons from Accra, Kumasi and Akim Oda, who are believed to be behind a series of car snatching incidents that have plagued the nation recently.
The suspects are Isaac Addai, 32, Emmanuel Ayew, 24, Iddrisu Baba, 30, Stephen Akaglo, 42, Latif Afolabi, 24, Foli Lokko, 25, John Suker, 18, and Richard Agyapong.
Briefing the media on the operations of the car snatchers on Wednesday, DCOP Rose Bio Atinga, Accra Regional Police Commander, said between March and October this year, Accra was hit by a series of car snatching robberies causing the police to conduct investigations to unravel those behind the acts.
She said upon a tip-off, a team of policemen from Accra Region went to Akim Oda in the Eastern Region and embarked on operations to track down the car robbers.
This, DCOP Bio Atinga noted, led to the arrest of Stephen Akaglo, alias WO or Soldier. The rest of the suspects were later arrested.
"The modus operandi of these robbers was to engage the services of taxi drivers and along the route pull cutlasses or locally made pistols on them and snatch their vehicles," she said.
DCOP Bio Atinga said in the case of private cars, the robbers laid ambush at the entrance of the homes of their prospective victims and robbed owners of their vehicles.
She noted that the robbers, after snatching the vehicles, often changed their original colours and converted private cars into taxi and vice versa.
DCOP Bio Atinga cited teachers, nurses, miners and businessmen, among others, as being those who often purchased the stolen vehicles at ridiculously low prices.
She said after the sale of the vehicles, Akaglo, one of the suspects, would then prepare fake documentation including insurance cover and road worthy certificates. They also had fake registration numbers plates.
According to the Commander, Ayapong, a teacher, became the link between Akaglo and those, who were interested in purchasing the vehicles. He received the vehicles and marketed them for Akaglo for a commission.
She advised persons with vehicles, who did not have Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) papers covering them, to surrender them to the nearest Police Station or CEPS office for verification.
DCOP Bio Atinga noted that so far, 18 vehicles had been retrieved adding that the Police were in contact with the Driver, Vehicle and Licensing Authority to identify their real owners.