Armed robbers numbering about five who pretended to be operating a ‘trotro’ bus (commercial vehicle) to Madina have raped ladies onboard their vehicle and subjected the men to severe beatings on Friday, January 13, 2022.
The well-built men also robbed their victims of their monies and mobile phones.
According to one of the victims, a student of the University of Ghana, who did not reveal his identity, three of the armed robbers pretended to be passengers on board the vehicle while the remaining two disguised themselves as the driver and conductor of the bus.
The student said the armed robbers decided to evade the heavy traffic just around Achimota which most commercial drivers do but their intention was to find a favourable opportunity to execute their operation.
He said when they got to a bushy area, the robbers asked the passengers to get off the bus and demanded their mobile phones and monies.
The ladies, however, said they did not have monies on them but only their phones. “To replace the money, the armed robbers took turns and raped the ladies. All the five robbers raped each of the ladies. When it got to my turn to release my items, I told them I would not give them my phone because I had all my books and other important documents on it. It infuriated them so they did not spare me. They subjected me to severe lashes and then took the phone away,” he narrated.
Other men onboard were also beaten.
The Ghana Police Service is encouraged to inspect commercial vehicles, especially those that are not filled to full capacity so that it does not become a trend or a new strategy for armed robbery. Passengers are also advised to be vigilant and careful when boarding commercial vehicles.
Meanwhile, the Police have earned applause from the public again following the rescue of a kidnapped baby in the Ashanti Region from some car thieves.
The carjacking incident, which occurred at Santasi, a suburb of Kumasi over the weekend went from bad to worse for the owner of the vehicle when his wife reported that the perpetrators drove off with the baby in the backseat.
By Rudolph Nandi
Email: rudnankp4@gmail.com
