Ksi bank robbers stole over ¢1.2 billion cedis

It has now been established that the robbers who broke into the Kumasi Central branch of the SG-SSB Bank on December 22, 2007 made away with GH 124,600 cedis( 1,246,OOO,OOO cedis).

Confirming this in an interview, a police source said apart from the Deputy Manager, Mr David Asiedu Berchie, who was still in custody and some private security guards who were on police bail, no arrests had been made in connection with the case.

Mr Berchie, who was arrested a few hours after the incident, was still in police custody as of Friday, pending further investigations into the case.

The source stated that a case had been established against the suspect and he would soon be arraigned, explaining that the courts were on recess, hence Mr Berchie's continuous detention in police custody.

The source further noted that charges of illegal entry and stealing were likely to be preferred against the suspect when he finally appears before court.

Last Saturday, some robbers had a field day when they broke into the Kumasi Central Branch of the bank.

After destroying a window at the back of the bank building and entering it, the robbers opened the strong room with a key before removing the protective iron bars to gain access to the stockpile of cash.

The situation undermined business operations of the bank last Saturday as customers who converged there to withdraw cash for their Christmas festivities or business transactions had to return empty-handed, while those who were to deposit cash with the bank could also not do so.

A few hours after the incident, Mr Berchie was arrested by the police to assist in their investigations.

Also arrested were some private security guards keeping watch over the bank, but after their statements had been taken, they were released on police enquiry bail pending further investigations into the case.