Easter Heist Gone Wrong — Kasoa Police Bust Phone Snatch Gang with 21 Devices

What was supposed to be a smooth Easter celebration in the Central Region flipped into a crime crackdown after police swooped in on a suspected phone-snatching crew — and the timing couldn’t have been sharper. The Ghana Police Service, through the Central East Regional Command, arrested four men in Kasoa over what investigators are calling a coordinated mobile phone theft operation during festivities in Agona Swedru. The suspects — Anthony Fiave (25), Bright Owusu (30), Kwaku Appiah (38), and John Addai (39) — were picked up in the early hours of Monday, April 6, around 3:45am. And here’s where it gets interesting: they weren’t caught at the scene of the crime, but while trying to move out with the alleged loot. A patrol team from the Kasoa Divisional Command, running a stop-and-search operation along the Kasoa–Ofaakor–Bawjiase–Swedru stretch, intercepted a Toyota Hiace, locally known as a “fish” vehicle. That routine check quickly turned into a full-blown bust. Inside the vehicle? Twenty-one assorted mobile phones. Police say the devices are believed to have been stolen from unsuspecting revelers during Easter celebrations in Swedru — a time when crowds are high, vigilance is low, and opportunists try their luck. Preliminary investigations suggest the group went on a calculated stealing spree, targeting festival-goers and making off with multiple phones before attempting to slip away unnoticed. But luck ran out. Now in custody, the suspects are assisting with ongoing investigations and could soon be facing prosecution. Meanwhile, the recovered phones have been secured as evidence. Authorities are calling on anyone who may have lost a phone during the celebrations to report to the Kasoa Divisional Police Command for identification and retrieval. This incident is yet another reminder that while festivities bring joy, they also attract criminal activity. For now, the police are taking the win — and sending a clear message: if you try it, you might not get far.