The Ashanti Regional Police Command has arrested six people suspected to be members or associates of an organised armed robbery syndicate operating in the region.

The arrests were made in August 2026 by the Anti Armed Robbery Unit in Kumasi following intelligence gathered by the Police.

The suspects have been identified as Philip Nyarko alias “Kawawa”, Hadi Samed alias “Toronto”, Issahaku Musah alias “Isak”, Suraj Mohammed alias “Baba Nde” also known as “Trouble”, Hadi Abdul Majeed alias “Panie”, and Foster Owusu Afriyie alias “Joe Fraizer”.

According to the Police, preliminary investigations have linked the suspects to reported street robbery incidents at Kaase, Ahinsan Estate, Santasi New Site, Bronikrom, Kwadaso Estate and other areas in the Ashanti Region.

The Police have recovered two motorcycles, two machetes, knives, an iPhone 13, five keypad mobile phones, a laptop and 33 assorted mobile phones believed to be connected to the alleged criminal activities.

Further investigations also led to the arrest of Augustine Agyemang Duah, who is suspected of helping members of the group unlock mobile phones believed to have been stolen.

The Police noted that three of the suspects, Philip Nyarko, Hadi Samed and Abdul Shattar, were previously arrested on December 6, 2025, over allegations of conspiracy to commit robbery and attempted robbery.

They were subsequently arraigned before the Asokwa Circuit Court 1 and granted bail. The case is still pending before the court.

The Police further indicated that some of the suspects allegedly returned to their criminal activities after their release. Abdul Shattar, however, is currently at large.

The Command is pursuing him and five other persons identified as Andy, Umaru, Dauda, Malik and Abdul Farouk, who are also suspected of having links to the syndicate.

The Police have appealed to anyone with information about their whereabouts to contact the authorities and warned the public not to confront or attempt to arrest them.

Investigations are continuing to determine the full extent of the suspects’ involvement, identify other persons connected to the group and recover more stolen property.

The arrested suspects will be processed for court as investigations continue.

The Ashanti Regional Police Command also encouraged people who have lost mobile phones or other property during robbery incidents to contact the Police to help identify the recovered items.

The Command expressed appreciation to the IGP’s Special Operations Team for its operational and investigative support in the ongoing efforts to tackle organised crime in the region.

By: Jacob Aggrey