Armed Robbers Attack Bullion Van In Tarkwa

Another bullion van has allegedly been attacked and its content robbed by two armed men amidst sporadic shooting on Monday in Tarkwa in the Western Region.

According to the state-owned newspaper Daily Graphic, over ¢107,000 being carried on the bullion van, was robbed in front of a supermarket in the centre of town.

There were no casualties as the robbers reportedly took the money without any resistance.

 

Eyewitnesses said the robbers trailed the van a few minutes after it had arrived at the Ransbet Super Shopping Market at about 9 a.m. to collect the weekend sales to the bank.

One of the robbers was said to have disguised himself as a shopper with a gun on him.

The Western Regional Police Command, which confirmed the incident said investigations are ongoing.

 

Mabel Dzedu, Manager of the Supermarket, said the van arrived at the supermarket premises without a police escort.

 

 

“The robber first entered the cosmetic shop and walked around for a while and then picked a drink and other items, paid for the items at the counter and waited for the items to be bagged,” she said.

CCTV footage at the shop showed that after the cashier on the Mon-Trans bullion van took the money from the supermarket and was about to put it in the bullion van, the robber — who was inside the supermarket — charged on him.

The robber snatched the money and walked away to sit on the motorbike, which had the other robber in charge, and sped off.

Dzedu said they had a contract with Mon-Trans to carry money from the shop to the bank daily.

“When the bankers arrived, the team went through the process of counting the sales, and after the transaction was completed, they carried the money towards the waiting bullion van,” she noted.

 

 

4 bullion vans attacked in the first half of 2021

The first half of 2021 has recorded four bullion van attacks.

JoyNews checks reveal that the robbers bolted away with the cash on board the vehicles in three of the incidents.

In two of the cases, the police officers escorting the van lost their lives.

• On January 18, some highway robbers numbering about 10, attacked a bullion van travelling on a section of the Adansi Fomena road in the Ashanti Region and an amount of ¢500,000 was stolen.
• Sources indicate that the van, with registration number GT 543-19, was attacked around 10:30 am on the Adansi Fomena Road.
• The driver of the vehicle survived while the police officer escorting the van was killed, his AK47 assault rifle was stolen.