Midnight ambush on Kasoa-Winneba highway leaves 4 injured, 1 robber arrested

Four passengers are receiving medical treatment at the Winneba Trauma and Specialist Hospital after a violent highway robbery at Buduatta Junction in the early hours of Monday.

The incident, which took place around 1:00 a.m. on the Kasoa-Winneba Highway, saw a group of armed men block the road and launch an attack on passing vehicles.

 A commercial Toyota Hiace minibus, caught in the chaos, came under heavy gunfire when the driver attempted to stop, leaving four passengers with gunshot wounds.

This attack adds to a growing list of highway robberies that have plagued the Gomoa East District in recent months. Police suspect the criminals may have shifted their operations to Buduatta Junction due to heightened security presence at previously targeted spots like Potsin and Okyereko Junctions.

Responding swiftly to the scene, officers from the Formed Police Unit (FPU) and the Kasoa Divisional SWAT team secured the area and rushed the injured to the hospital. The damaged vehicle was later moved to the Gomoa Dominase Police Station for further investigations.

Shortly after the incident, around 2:30 a.m., police on their return patrol encountered two suspicious men near the Onion Market. One suspect escaped into the nearby bush, but the other was apprehended. A search revealed the driver and several passengers positively identified three mobile phones belonging to the earlier victims, and the suspect.

He is now in the custody of the Central East Regional Police Command and is assisting with investigations.

Meanwhile, officers at the Gomoa Dominase District Police Command have voiced frustration over limited resources. They say a lack of vehicles and inadequate staffing continues to hamper efforts to combat rising armed robbery cases in the district.

They are calling on the government and the Inspector General of Police to urgently address these challenges to help protect travelers and restore safety to the region’s highways.