The Anti-Armed Robbery Response Unit (AARU) of the Ghana Police Service has foiled an attempted robbery at the MRB Rural Bank in Winneba, Central Region.

The incident occurred around 1:00 a.m. on Friday, August 15, 2025, when the bank’s alarm system was triggered, alerting a patrol team on duty.

Upon arrival at the scene, the police officers came under heavy gunfire from the suspects. After a brief exchange of fire, the robbers fled, abandoning a pump-action shotgun, an empty cartridge, and other implements believed to have been intended for the operation.

Preliminary investigations suggest that about five armed men were behind the attempted robbery and had targeted the bank’s vault. However, the swift intervention of the patrol team disrupted their plans.

“The modus operandi of this robbery gang is similar to that of the group involved in earlier rural bank robberies, suggesting that the same gang is responsible,” the police noted in a statement.

Intelligence reports further indicate that the suspects may be hiding in Kumasi. Surveillance teams from AARU have since been deployed to the area to track down and apprehend the perpetrators.