The Ghana Police Service seems to have declared war on criminals who are either terrorising the people through highway robberies or adopting strategies to create fear and panic in the country. It emerged last week that a student of Presbyterian Boys Secondary School (PRESEC) in Accra had been kidnapped whilst on his way from school.
But within a week after the story went viral, the George Akuffo-Dampare administration delved into it and realised that it was stage-managed by the alleged victim, some of his colleagues and two adults, who have all been arrested and assisting the law enforcement agency in their investigations.
According to the police, in a press statement, preliminary investigations have revealed that the kidnap was faked to extort money from the parents of the supposed victim for him to travel  abroad.
The group demanded a ransom of Three Hundred and Forty Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢340,000.00) from the victim’s parents, of which they collected Twenty Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢20,000.00).
The identities of the juveniles have been withheld and their parents and guardians have been informed, as investigations continue. The police, however, gave the names of their adult accomplices as Isaac Kissi Adjei, alias Kofi Black and Courage Teiko, alias Timmy.
Whilst the police were plotting on how to arrest the alleged fake kidnappers of the PRESEC student, highway robbers were also strategising on how to rob on the Accra –Kumasi highway.
But the police patrol team, which appears to be ahead of the armed robbers, managed to arrest one of the suspects on the Juaso-Nkawkaw section of the highway, when they attacked passengers around 1 am yesterday without causing any harm.
Another statement from the police said an intelligence-led operation is currently underway to track down the remaining suspects, with the assurance that they will be brought to justice.
Disappearing of Genitals
The Police Service, within the same period, also uncovered a web of deceit by nine individuals spreading false news about disappearing genitals, unleashing panic and chaos across communities.
Police investigations, including medical examinations, revealed that all the claims are baseless and untrue.
Six persons were arrested in Kasoa, two in Ashaiman and another in Nkawkaw for spreading these false claims.
Five individuals have been arraigned before court, with three remanded into police custody and two granted bail, according to the police. The remaining suspects are on police inquiry bail and will soon face legal proceedings.
Expressing concern over this disturbing trend, the Ghana Police Service cautioned the public against engaging in criminal conduct that could harm innocent individuals and disrupt public peace.
The police is urging citizens to refrain from spreading false information and to report any suspicious activities to the authorities for swift action.
