2 Kidnappers Arrested

Ernest Kwabena Koomson (left) and Isaac Ntie
Two persons suspected to be behind the recent wave of kidnapping in Accra, have been arrested by the Police.

The suspects, Ernest Kwabena Koomson aka Ernest Abotsi, 27, and his accomplice Isaac Ntie, 19, were arrested yesterday for allegedly kidnapping four children.

This followed the kidnapping of two kids at two churches at North Kaneshie in Accra earlier this month and the payment of ransom by their parents to the kidnappers.

The suspects were shown to the media at the Police Headquarters in Accra.

“It is with great satisfaction that I wish to state that with diligence and tenacity of purpose by the Accra Regional Command, two suspects were this afternoon arrested in Darkuman in relation to the kidnapping cases that started from the 1st of December,' Inspector General of Police Mohammed Alhassan said in an interaction with the media yesterday afternoon after the breakthrough.

The IGP said the kidnapper and his accomplice were allegedly involved in the kidnapping of children at the ICGC Christ Temple on December 1, 2013, and later at the Christ Outreach Church, the Light House Chapel.

'They were arrested in relation to four kidnapping cases which occurred on the 1st of December this year at the International Central Gospel Church and on 8th of December at the Winners Chapel Church,' he explained.

The IGP said: 'They again embarked on another exercise on the 16 th of December at the Grace Outreach Chapel and today at the Lighthouse Chapel in Kaneshie.'

The suspects, he went on, visited the said churches on the stated dates and kidnapped the kids, after which they made monetary demands from their parents.

During the first kidnapping, the IGP stated, the suspects demanded a ransom of GH¢2,500, adding, 'They again demanded GH¢3,000 during their next exercise'.

He said before they were arrested yesterday at the Lighthouse Chapel at the North Industrial area, Kaneshie, they had demanded another GH¢5,000 as ransom.

The two suspects were said to have visited these churches and familiarised themselves with the kids before kidnapping them.

The suspects, the IGP said, would remain in Police custody as investigations continued, adding that the security agencies would remain vigilant and wary about the activities of kidnappers and other criminals.

The arrest of the suspects came on the heels of the payment of a ransom of GH¢3000 and GH¢2500 to the criminals at North Kaneshie. The criminals had kidnapped the kids whom they later dropped around Kwashieman and Hong Kong in Accra.

Two children who were separately kidnapped early this month at North Kaneshie by some unknown criminals have been released according to the Greater Accra Regional Police Commander, Christian Yohuno.

The kids were lured with an Iphone after they had closed from the children's service early December, after which their parents were called on phone and the ransom demanded.

The scared parents, who first alerted the Police, went behind the scenes to pay the ransom following which the kids were dumped at the aforementioned locations.

 By Melvin Tarlue