Akatsi South: Suspected robbers kill one, others hospitalised

One person has been killed, while four others have been hospitalised following a robbery incident at Makafui and Sons Lotto company at Ayitikorpe in the Akatsi South Municipality of the Volta region on Monday night.

The suspected robbers numbering six, invaded the company’s premises at about 8:30pm at a time only few of the workers had returned from their daily closing routine.

The incident led to the death of one of the company’s drivers, Dotsey Dogbatey -who was shot in the back by the armed men while other workers sustained injuries and were hospitalised.

Narrating his ordeal, one of the victims and worker of the company, Yaw Gakpo said, “I had just returned from closing and was going to drop my car key and just when I entered the office to drop the key, the people entered the premises and started shooting sporadically.

They demanded to see the director and I told them I did know where he was and so they began beating me.”

He added that, “when the robbers got to the gate, the gate was locked so they banged it violently until the deceased (Dotsey Dogbatey) moved to open it; thinking it was some other colleagues who had returned but just when he opened the gate, they shot him.”

Cecillia Gadasu, a cook at the company said, “I was serving food to those who had returned from closing when the robbers invaded the place and demanded that I lead them to where the money is. I told them I’m only a cook and didn’t know where the money is kept and so they molested me. They spoke Ewe, wore black dresses and were masked.”

The deceased according to his sister, Akwelley Dogbatey has left behind three children.

The sobbing sister told journalists that, “He is my younger brother but when I heard the announcement on radio that the place was under attack I just said he wouldn’t be involved because he would usually report there late. But few minutes later, I had a call from my twin sister that our brother was shot, then the second call came and so I rushed out only to come and see my brother’s body dead.”

“I am heartbroken and can’t control my tears. He began the work at the company last year but that was busy work was not good for him so he decided to work at the company to feed the children. Dotsey has died leaving these children including an infant behind,” she lamented while sobbing.

Three of the four persons who sustained various degrees of injuries were rushed to the Akatsi South Municipal hospital while one other was taken to the Ho Teaching hospital for medical attention.

The victims revealed that they were ordered to lay with their faces on the ground during the robbery.

Other sources close to the company have also revealed to Starr News that an undisclosed amount of monies were taken away from the engine room where proceeds of daily operations are kept.

This latest robbery incident is the second to have hit the company barely one year.

In May, 2021 robbers attacked the company and took away huge sums of money, in an incident that the CEO Mr Kumadzi was shot in the leg.

Reports later emerged that some of the suspects were arrested and were assisting the police in investigations before this latest incident.

The 2021 crime reports from the Ghana Police Service revealed that situations in the Akatsi South Municipality has heightened in recent times with robbery, petty theft, rape, the use and trading of illicit drugs topping the chat on crime statistics.

Sources: Starrfm.com.gh