The Ghana Police Service says it has broken up a planned robbery targeting three bank branches in Labone, Accra, killing two suspected gang members and arresting a third after a chase and exchange of gunfire on Thursday, August 13.
According to police, the operation began after they received intelligence around 10:45am that a robbery syndicate was preparing to strike GCB Bank, Ecobank and Zenith Bank branches in the area. A response team rushed to the scene and spotted suspected gang members parked in two vehicles close to the banks.
When the suspects noticed the officers, one vehicle sped off, sparking a pursuit that ended with the arrest of one occupant, later identified as Augustine Okechuku Maazi, while another person in the same vehicle managed to escape on foot.
Meanwhile, occupants of the second vehicle allegedly opened fire on officers as they tried to break through the police cordon. In the shootout that followed, two suspects were killed.
Investigators recovered two vehicles from the scene, a Toyota Highlander with registration GS 1434-18 and a Hyundai Tucson registered GS 7915-17 along with a blow pistol. Police have not yet disclosed the identities of the two suspects killed.
The police service commended the response team for the operation and thanked members of the public for supplying the intelligence that helped disrupt the syndicate's plans. Investigations are continuing to establish the full circumstances of the incident and track down any remaining accomplices.
GCB Bank, however, has pushed back on suggestions that its Labone branch was the actual target or scene of a robbery. In a statement, the bank said the reports followed the Labone incident but stressed that its branch was never breached and that no customers, staff, funds or property were affected. It assured customers the branch remains secure and that normal banking operations are continuing as usual.
