The Ghana Police Service has arrested a key suspect in connection with a daylight robbery at a jewellery shop in Adabraka, where GH¢7.5 million from a gold transaction was stolen while being conveyed to a bank.
Addressing the media on Wednesday, December 31, at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters in Accra, Director General COP Lydia Yaako Donkor announced that the suspect, identified as Salim Mohammed, also known as Fariwata, was arrested on November 20 at a hospital in Ashaiman, where he had gone to seek medical attention after months of intelligence led surveillance.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect and his accomplices, armed with AK-47 assault rifles, intercepted the victim’s vehicle, fired multiple shots to scare away onlookers, injured the driver and escaped with the cash.
The robbery occurred on Saturday, November 2, 2024, at Cabest Jewellery in Adabraka. One of the shop owners, Clement Amos Baffour, explained that robbers attacked one of their gold suppliers as he was leaving the shop after selling raw gold to them.
“They attacked one of the customers who came to sell an item to us and was leaving in his car. They crossed him, blasted his car tyre and asked him to get down and open the boot of the car, and they took all the money we gave to him. The amount robbed was more than GH¢6.2 million. What we paid him was more than GH¢6.2 million. He had gone somewhere for some more, so in all, the money was around GH¢7.5 million,” Baffour stated.
Viral videos of the incident showed at least five well built men brandishing various firearms. The footage captured the men firing shots into the air as they loaded items, including bags of money, into a silver vehicle. At one point, the suspects scattered some of the money they had seized while continuing to fire warning shots. Tragically, at least one person was hit by the gunfire.
COP Donkor said the police are currently pursuing the remaining suspects and working to recover the stolen money. She described the arrest as a significant breakthrough after more than a year of investigation.
The arrest forms part of broader police operations targeting organized crime in Accra. During the same briefing, COP Donkor announced the arrest of five additional suspects, Seth Tetteh Noi (also known as Wonder), Emmanuel Selasi Monyekor, Abdul Fatao Sameed, Karam Fatao, and Abdul Jamel Mohammed, who were apprehended at their hideouts between December 24 and 26, 2025, following intelligence led operations.
The gang had been involved in street, residential and workplace robberies across Oyibi, Appolonia, Spintex, Airport Residential Area, East Legon Hills, Zenu Atadeka, Ashaiman and Kasoa. Searches conducted during the operations led to the recovery of a pistol and a pump action gun believed to have been used in several robberies.
Authorities did not immediately disclose whether any of the GH¢7.5 million stolen in the Adabraka robbery had been recovered.
