By Kemo Kanyi
The Gambia police force has made revelations of the organised crime that took place at Bakau with the involvement of taxis rented by suspects.
It was reported by the police that one Abubacarr Touray, a taxi driver, was arrested with some other suspects for their involvement in an alleged robbery along Mile 7 Highway in Bakau.
Pateh Bah, the Regional Crime Officer for KanifingMunicipality, Wednesday revealed to press members how the principal suspect, Abubakarr Touray, and his accomplices staged the robbery using taxis.
He explained that the complainant, Bai Nyass Bah, and his friends from Abuko wanted a taxi to run their services for five days. They agreed with Abubacarr Touray, the principal suspect in this case, who does not have a taxi but has a friend who has no taxis. He (Abubacarr Touray) went to his friend to rent one while charging the complaint (Bai Nyass) D10,000.00 for five days, period.
“Bai Nyass Bah, not knowing what plans the principal suspect (Touray) had in the offing, decided to go in for the contract. In the evening, the complainant picked up his friends while the principal suspect (Touray) had already collected the taxi from a friend. They boarded the taxi and continued their activities until around 23hrs towards midnight. Then, the suspect already arranged with his counterparts, who were also in town, that they should hire another taxi and ambush him and his passengers,” he narrated.
He went on in his narration that Demba Jarju from Fajikundais another suspect who led the other gang to a place where they laid ambush for them (complainant, his friend, and the principal suspect).
“Demba and his team planned to wait for the principal suspect on mile 7 Road around Radio Gambia as if their vehicle had a breakdown. There was communication between Demba and Abubacarr Touray at the time. When the principal suspect and his passengers reached the spot where the gang parked in pretence, they started discussing issues as if it was a driver-to-driver conversation trying to seek out some issues. That’s when those of his accomplices in Demba’s vehicle rushed to Touray’s taxi to spray pepper spray into the complainant’s eyes with a knife pointed at him and ordered him not to move otherwise they would harm him, and they robbed them of their properties that included 3 mobile phones with a bag containing D40,000.00 and ran into their vehicle and went away,” he explained.
He said Abubacarr Touray, the principal suspect, pretended that he didn’t know them and told the victims to report the matter to the Bakau police station. He added that the Regional Police Commissioner ordered an investigation team to follow up on the scene as it appeared to be a serious matter.
He disclosed that during the interrogation, they realised that Touray was in fact, a party to that robbery with violence through a confession he made and revealed the names of his counterparts.
“A search was conducted by the police team with the anti-crime unit in Kotu with the principal suspect himself who led us to Fajikunda, and other residents of his accomplices. We were able to arrest all the suspects namely; Demba Jarju from Kotu, Ebrima Sarr at Fajikunda, Ebrima Konateh at Fajikunda, and Edrissa Ceesay at Fajikunda. Mobile phone, bag, and monies that were taken were also recovered but not the whole of D40,000.00, and a sim card belonging to the complainant was also recovered,” he revealed.