Mr Christian Tetteh Yohonu, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), has reiterated the police resolute commitment to dismantle criminal gangs operating in any part of the country and bring them to justice.
He said the police, through sustained surveillance, technical intelligence and targeted operations, would successfully dismantle dangerous car-jacking criminals and syndicates operating in the country.
Addressing a press conference in Kumasi after a successful operation by the Ashanti Regional Police Command to arrest a criminal syndicate known as ‘Duku syndicate’, he said the police was on a war path.
The Ashanti Regional Police Command, during the operations on February 18 and 22, 2026, arrested four members of the gang, who were behind the murder of Mr Andrews Amankwaah, at Ohwim Amanfrom, near Kumasi, on February 10, 2026.
The leader of the gang, Eric Antwi Duku, sustained gunshot wounds during the operations and was pronounced dead at a health facility.
Other gang members arrested during the operations were Akwasi Manu, Bashiru Tanko, Kwadwo Amponsah and Emmanuel Kwame Appea, who were arrested from their hideouts at Atonsu, Hwereso, near Boankra and Danyame, near the military barracks.
The gang is said to be specialised in the snatching of pick-up and Land Cruiser vehicles, particularly black and ash coloured ones, which they sold to a contact at Paga.
The gang also had contacts with persons at Offinso and in Dubai as well as contacts with some ‘goro boys’ at the DVLA, who facilitated the preparation of fake vehicle documents for them.
Mr Yohunu said the syndicate had been linked to similar robberies at Tarkwa, Kumasi and other parts of the Ashanti region, adding that, the gang had been on the wanted list of the Western Central Regional Command at Tarkwa following a series of incidents involving them.
The modus operandi of the syndicate involved identifying and monitoring targeted victims and following them until they get the opportunity to strike and when the targets resist or refuse to handover the vehicle to them, they resort to firing their weapon.
He said the leader, Eric Duku often travelled to Dubai to cool off after successful operations, adding that, the gang was preparing to leave Kumasi on Monday February 23, 2026, for another operations at Tarkwa but they run out of luck, when the police got them arrested.
The IGP expressed condolences to the bereaved family and commended the various teams that worked on the operation as well as members of the public who assisted with critical information leading to their arrest.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP), Mr Osei Akoto Arthur, the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, said the police during the operation retrieved a Bruni Mod 84 pistol, eight rounds of live ammunition, a tracking detection device, forged vehicle documents and a Toyota Corolla S, belonging to the deceased gang leader.
He said the recovered items were undergoing forensic and ballistic examination to determine its linkage to various crimes.