Three soldiers with the rank of Private from the Takoradi Air Force Base, were apprehended yesterday for allegedly robbing unsuspecting victims of gold and some cash in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality of the Western Region.
They are Oliviete Solomon, Agantwuo Agana Joseph and Osei Abraham.
An amount of GH¢900, two small pieces of gold and identity (ID) cards were reportedly retrieved from them.
Initial reports were that the three soldiers were members of the government’s Operation Vanguard, the anti-illegal mining taskforce, in the region.
However, Col William Agyapong, the Commander of Operation Vanguard, told an Accra-based radio station yesterday that the three suspects were not members of his group.
Arrest
Briefing DAILY GUIDE as to how the three soldiers were arrested, a source at the Western Regional Police Command said that the suspects, on board a taxi, went to Aboso near Tarkwa, at about 6:30 am yesterday and allegedly hatched the diabolic plan to extort money and gold from some dealers.
“The three soldiers combed gold-buying shops in the mining community and allegedly extorted both cash and gold from some gold dealers in the area,” the police source added.
The source revealed that when the members of the community got wind of the alleged diabolic plan of the soldiers, they mobilized themselves and managed to arrest the suspects and subsequently handed them over to the police at Aboso.
The soldiers were later sent to the Tarkwa Divisional Police Command for further interrogation.
According to the police source, the suspects admitted the offence upon interrogation.