Two groups suspected to be in a goat-stealing syndicate have been arrested by the police. This was after they intercepted a vehicle carrying 27 stolen goats and a sheep during an operation along the Assin Besease barrier.
This follows an intelligence and surveillance in the area by the Ghana Police Service under the Central North Regional Police Command.
Police sources say the first group was travelling in a Pajero vehicle with registration number GR 9864-19, with four suspects on board, carrying 15 goats and a sheep.
A Toyota Highlander with registration number GR 1623-16, was the second vehicle that was intercepted shortly afterwards with two suspects and 11 goats.
The police retrieved 27 goats and a sheep in all, believed to have been stolen from various communities. Fourteen of the animals were found dead, while 13 were alive.
According to one of the suspects who identified himself as Taakum, the group used a chemical-laced feed to weaken the animals before capturing them.
“The maize is mixed with a chemical which makes the goats weak after eating it, making it easier for them to be captured,” the suspect reportedly told investigators.
Police say the Pajero vehicle had allegedly begun its operation from several villages, passing through areas including Breman Asikuma, Kokoso, Amanfopong and Akyim Achiase before heading towards Assin Brofoyedru, where officers eventually intercepted it on the Assin Bankyease road.
A gun battle reportedly broke out between the officers and the suspects during the attempted arrest of the suspects in the Pajero vehicle, where two suspects and an officer sustained various injuries.
The injured are currently receiving treatment at St. Francis Xavier Hospital in Assin Fosu.
Meanwhile, the second group using the Highlander was arrested after the officers observed their suspicious driving behaviour along the Assin Manso – Ochiso road.
The suspects, the two vehicles and the recovered animals are currently in police custody as investigations continue.
Police say the arrests form part of ongoing efforts to clamp down on livestock theft in parts of the Central Region, which has been a growing concern for farmers and residents in affected communities.
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