Security operatives have arrested a landlord and four others at Osino in the Eastern Region after uncovering an illegal underground mining operation being conducted beneath a residential property.
The joint operation, carried out by personnel from the National Security and the Fanteakwa South District Assembly, followed reports from residents who suspected illegal mining activities in the area.
Investigations revealed that the landlord, whose name has been withheld, sold his four-bedroom house for GH¢800,000 to a group of individuals who falsely claimed they were digging a well. The excavation, however, turned into a deep underground mine where gold was being secretly extracted.
Acting on the intelligence, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Fanteakwa South, Mercy Korang, led a swift raid on the premises. The team found the suspects actively mining underground with washing equipment and other tools. Several nearby houses were also discovered to have sustained cracks and structural damage, believed to be caused by the tunneling activities.
Residents expressed fear and frustration over the situation, describing the destruction as alarming. “You can clearly see the extent of the damage caused by these illegal miners. It’s really traumatising. We are very worried our buildings could soon collapse due to underground mining operations,” one resident lamented.
The DCE condemned the act as a “disturbing and dangerous development,” warning that anyone found aiding or concealing illegal mining operations would face prosecution. She vowed to intensify the district’s anti-galamsey operations and restore sanity to affected communities.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Regional Minister, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, has ordered all Municipal and District Chief Executives in the region to compile a list of miners and their financiers within two weeks. The directive, she said, will support a regional crackdown on individuals polluting water bodies and destroying forest reserves.
The suspects are currently in police custody at Osino as investigations continue.
Discussion about this post