The Obuasi Police Division has arrested the young men sighted in a viral video, brandishing guns and unspecified amount of money.
The Chronicle understands they have been made to write their statements, but at the time of filing this report (9pm), no charges had been proffered against them.
Their arrest comes hours after they were sighted in a new viral video, denying that they were armed robbers.
The young men seen in the viral video and brandishing guns, claimed the video had been linked to the James Town bullion van attack on Monday, which led to the death of a policeman and a woman.
According to the new video, which appears to have been made out of the fear of being arrested, they claim they are only galamseyers and that the previous video was taken years back, to scare off attackers at their galamsey site.
Ostensibly calling on the gods by pouring libation and breaking eggs on the ground, the young men cursed the one who infiltrated their Facebook account and used their old videos and pictures to suggest it was connected to the police killing at James Town.
The old video, which spread on social media like wild fire, caused the public to demand from the Police the immediate arrest of the boys, arguing that granted they were not armed robbers, it is against the law to brandish offensive weapons.
In the old video, the young men, believed to be in their 20s, numbering four, all had guns which they were corking.
One of them, amid laughter, was heard saying: “We commit crimes so we can live longer.”
But, earlier yesterday, before they were arrested, one of the men, whose name was only given as Obour, speaking to the media, denied their involvement in the Monday killing, suggesting that they cannot kill the police, who are to protect lives and property.
When the media visited the police station to speak to officers on the arrest, the police were tight-lipped.
Also, one Hajia Khadija, who is said to be the mother of one of the men, called Bebe, in an interview with a radio station said that: “Since the video went viral, the stigma has been enormous. I can’t even step out, anytime I go to the market people will be calling me names; like “see the mother of the armed robbers and I’ve not been able to eat or sleep because the stigma is getting out of hands.”
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