A 26-year-old man has been taken into police custody after allegedly attempting to steal a Ghana Police Service armoured vehicle in a dramatic daylight incident at Nkawie in the Atwima Nwabiagya South Municipality of the Ashanti Region.
The suspect, identified as Ebenezer Frimpong, is reported to have been arrested following a swift pursuit by a special police SWAT team along the Abuakwa–Kumasi highway after the vehicle was taken under unexpected circumstances.
According to a police situational report, the incident occurred around 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, while a service driver, Lance Corporal Joshua Denkyi of the Formed Police Unit, was transporting the armoured vehicle with registration number GP 1131 from Nkawie to the Regional Police Workshop in Kumasi for maintenance.
Preliminary information indicates that the officer had stopped briefly near Nkawie Market to purchase medication from a nearby pharmacy, leaving the engine of the armoured vehicle running. It was during this brief moment that the suspect, who was reportedly passing by, allegedly entered the vehicle and drove off, triggering alarm among bystanders and security personnel.
A distress alert was immediately raised, prompting a rapid response from the Ashanti Regional Police Command. A seven-member SWAT team, led by Inspector Benjamin Nartey, was deployed to track and intercept the moving vehicle.
The operation culminated in a high-speed chase that lasted approximately 30 minutes and ended at Mim near Abuakwa, where the suspect was successfully apprehended. The stolen armoured vehicle was also recovered intact.
Police have since taken custody of both the suspect and the vehicle, which is being held as an exhibit. Frimpong is currently being detained at the Abuakwa District Police Command and has since been transferred to the Ashanti Regional Criminal Investigations Department to assist with ongoing investigations.
