Police in Ghana's Ashanti Region arrested three men suspected of belonging to a motorcycle gang accused of night street racing and robberies in Kumasi. The suspects were released on police inquiry bail and have not been charged in court.
Police in Ghana's Ashanti Region have arrested three men suspected of belonging to a motorcycle gang. Residents of parts of Kumasi blame the gang for midnight road racing and robberies.
Sharif Mahmud, 23, Abdallah Karim, 25, and James Alena, 25, were arrested at about 01:40 local time on Sunday, 1 November, after a police team stopped the group at Suame, police said in a statement.
Several other suspected members of the gang got away.
The group is accused of taking over public roads at night to race motorcycles and of attacking and robbing passers-by in the Breman, Kronum and Suame areas. Police say this has caused fear and insecurity among local people.
The Ashanti Regional Police Command said it had been watching the group's movements for some time, but its members had kept avoiding arrest.
All three suspects have been released on police inquiry bail, which is bail granted by the police while the investigation continues. They are expected to appear in court once judges sit again. Court work has been halted by an ongoing strike by the Judicial Service Association of Ghana (JUSAG).
In a statement signed by Supt Godwin Ahianyo, head of the regional police public affairs unit, the command said investigations were continuing and efforts were under way to find the other members of the group.
Police have asked residents to come forward with credible information that could help them identify and arrest the suspects who escaped.
The suspects have not yet been charged in court, so the report calls them "suspected" and the accusations "alleged". Keep that wording if you edit it.
Mentioned in this story
Arrested three suspected motorcycle gang members near Suame after monitoring the group for some time, and said investigations and the search for the escaped members are continuing.
Signed the police statement announcing the arrests and the ongoing investigation, and urged residents to provide credible information to help identify the suspects who escaped.
Its ongoing strike has halted court work, so the three suspects, who were released on police inquiry bail, cannot yet appear in court.
The location where police stopped the group at about 01:40 on Sunday, 1 November, leading to the arrest of three suspected gang members.
Areas where the suspected gang is accused of attacking and robbing passers-by, causing fear and insecurity among local people.