3 killed, 10 arrested as police dismantle armed gang behind bank robberies in 5 regions

The Ghana Police Service has dismantled a criminal gang linked to a wave of armed robberies targeting rural banks across five (5) regions. Ten (10) suspects have been arrested, while 14 weapons, including AK-47 rifles stolen from slain police officers, have been recovered.

Inspector-General of Police, Dr Christian Tetteh Yohuno, confirmed the arrests at a press conference at the National Police Headquarters on Wednesday, September 24, 2025.

He revealed that the six-month operation, spanning April to September, relied on intelligence gathering and surveillance, leading police to hideouts in the Ahafo, Western, Central, Eastern, and Ashanti regions.

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The gang is believed to have carried out eleven (11) major attacks, beginning on April 10 at the Adansi Rural Bank in Fomena and ending on September 14 at the St. Martin de Porres Cooperative Credit Union in Atonsu Monaco. The group typically struck in the early hours, holding guards hostage, seizing their weapons, and using cutting machines to break into vaults.

A breakthrough came on September 18 with the arrest of the gang leader, Kwasi Egyir, alias Cobra, at his hideout at Esereso Adagya. Two AK-47 rifles buried in a pond were retrieved. Cobra later named 14 accomplices, leading to further arrests across the Ashanti Region.

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Items recovered included three AK-47 rifles, seven pump-action guns, four pistols, six vehicles, four motorbikes, GH¢18,845 in cash, foreign currencies, mobile phones, and jewellery. Police also linked the gang to the 2024 killing of Corporal Francis Adu Yaw on the Bibiani-Goaso highway.

Three (3) suspects were killed in confrontations with police, while two others remain at large. The fugitives, identified as Kwabena Owusu-Ansah, also known as Kobi, and another man called Nana Albert, are the subject of an active manhunt.

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The Police Service has described the dismantling of the syndicate as a major breakthrough in the fight against violent crime, particularly the spate of robberies on rural financial institutions. Investigations are ongoing to establish the full scope of the gang’s activities.