A significant breakthrough has been made in the Ashanti Region as police have arrested five suspected armed robbers believed to be behind a series of
A significant breakthrough has been made in the Ashanti Region as police have arrested five suspected armed robbers believed to be behind a series of violent crimes in and around the Denchemuoso District.
Among them is a long-wanted suspect linked to the 2016 murder of a police officer, shedding new light on one of the region’s most chilling unresolved cases.
According to the Police Intelligence Directorate (PID) in the Ashanti Region, the arrests follow weeks of surveillance and intelligence-gathering in response to a surge in street and residential robberies across Denchemuoso, Atwima-Techiman, Asuoyeboah, and surrounding communities.
Acting on credible intelligence, operatives on April 22, 2025, apprehended 32-year-old Michael Owusu Ansah, also known by the alias “Baby Last.”
Owusu Ansah had been on the police wanted list since 2016 for his alleged involvement in the robbery and fatal shooting of G/Cpl Frank Essel, a member of the SWAT Unit in the Ashanti Region.
Essel was killed during an operation at the Open Space Hotel in Denchemuoso on May 19, 2016—a case that had remained unresolved for nearly a decade despite repeated appeals from the police and the victim’s family for justice.
During interrogation, Owusu Ansah reportedly confessed to participating in multiple armed robberies, revealing that his gang operated with pistols, knives, and pump-action guns.
He further identified four other members of his syndicate: Emmanuel Owusu (alias Cassidy), Maxwell Gyimah (alias Nana Kwame), Sudais Oxford Ntiamoah (alias The Man Sudais), and Rhano Okyere (alias Demon).
These individuals were subsequently arrested at separate hideouts in Denchemuoso and Atwima-Techiman.
While five suspects are now in custody, police say one more gang member remains at large.
Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fugitive and recover the weapons used in their operations.
The suspects were arraigned before the Atasomanso Circuit Court on May 13, 2025, and have since been remanded into police custody.
Their next court appearance is scheduled for June 4, 2025.
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