Five Chinese nationals have been arrested by the police at Bepotenten in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region for engaging in

They were grabbed deep in the Oda Forest Reserve near Asante Bekwai mining.

They had excavators that they were using to cut down trees to pave ways for their mining activities.

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“These foreigners were brought here by government officials for reclamation exercise, but we the residents here know there has never been any mining activity inside the Oda Forest reserve. You have seen the pictures yourself is this a reclamation site?", one resident said.

“We have done our possible best to know those behind this particular mining site but any time you approach the Chinese, they show you government official contract. Now they have been arrested by the joint forestry and military task force trust me the police will struggle to prosecute them because the powerful hands behind their work is above Bekwai police command,”  another resident said.

The five miners are currently behind bars at Asante Bekwai divisional police command to assist police investigations.