BURKINA-FASO: END OF THE ROAD FOR 15 THUGS BELONGING TO TWO GANGS

In Burkina, the public forces are working tirelessly to put an end to insecurity linked to terrorism and organised crime. Following a joint investigation by several security units in Burkina, the Central Judicial Police (SRPJ-C) has just put an end to two organised groups of criminals who were causing panic in the capital.

The 15 members of the two groups, aged between 24 and 40, were involved in assaults, armed robberies, burglaries and receiving stolen goods, and were disturbing the peace and quiet in the following neighbourhoods: Karpala, Balkuy, Nioko, Gampela, Dassasgho, Zone I, Patte d’Oie, Tampouy, Cissin, Bendogo, Ragnongo, Saaba, Loumbila and Ziniaré.

According to details provided by the police, the first group generally targeted service stations, grocery stores and hardware shops.

Made up of three people, the group’s modus operandi was first to scout the aforementioned locations, particularly those with a minimum or average level of security.

Then, using firearms, they held up the security guards found on the premises before taking action.

Before fleeing the scene, they took care to destroy the video surveillance system in place.

The second group was made up of 12 people. Well-organised, these members operated by first carrying out the following operations

The second group was made up of 12 people. Well-organised, these members began by keeping an eye on their Bibles over several days.

They then reconstructed the backgrounds of their targets before carrying out the operation.

Once the operation was successful, the loot was taken to a neighbouring country where the group had links with local criminals, where it was sold.

Interrogations revealed that these two networks had carried out dozens of thefts and burglaries, resulting in losses of more than FCFA 50 million.

The dismantling of these two gangs at the end of the investigations was possible thanks to the open cooperation of the local population.

The searches resulted in the seizure of a large quantity of stolen goods, including three (03) automatic pistols, ammunition, one (01) vehicle, several motorbikes of various makes, bags containing shoes and cash.

The National Police would like to reiterate their thanks to the population for their open cooperation.

Once again, it urges them to be more cautious and vigilant, and to always report any suspicious cases to the toll-free numbers 17, 16 and 1010.