The Police in the Upper East Region is on a man hunt for a man who attempted to bribe police officers to release a Burkinabe suspect, Surogu Mumuni who was arrested for trying to smuggle a weapon into Ghana through the Upper East Region.
The Upper East Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP David Okyere-Fianko announced this in an interview with A1 Radio in Bolgatanga.
On Wednesday, March 24, the police at the Doba-Kandiga checkpoint on the Bolgatanga-Navrongo road, stopped a Mercedes Benz truck from Burkina-Faso, the suspect suddenly got out of the truck and started running away, but he was arrested immediately.
His action caused the police to suspect that there may be contraband goods on board. A search led to a brown bag that contained a Buruni Mod. 92 Pistol, which the suspect, Surogu Mumuni claimed ownership.
According to the Upper East police PRO, the 29-year-old suspect then called the man on phone to come and help him out of the situation.
ASP Okyere-Fianko said a man with locked hair arrived at the checkpoint shortly after the suspect had called for his help.
The man pleaded with the police officers to agree to a quiet settlement, according to ASP Okyere-Fianko. He proposed an amount, which the police feigned interest.
He said the man did not have cash and went to a mobile money operator near the scene to withdraw cash. Unfortunately for the police, the man did not return to the scene, rather sent the operator to bring an amount of GHc 5,000.00 to the police to release the suspect, Surogu Mumuni.
The man is believed to have heard a discussion or might have read the body language of the police which suggested that they will arrest him after issuing the bribe and so being a smart man, he fled.
According to ASP Okyere-Fianko, since the police could not grab the man, they brought the GHc 5,000.00 bribe as an exhibit and the Burkinabe suspect to the Upper East Regional Police Headquarters in Bolgatanga.
ASP Okyere-Fianko noted that the police is bent on arresting the man because the police want to get everyone who has something to do with the attempt to smuggle the gun into Ghana.
He said: “We are doing this to be able to get all the middlemen or the team within which these arms are being traded.”
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Ghana
