A group of about four armed men attacked and robbed passengers travelling from Twifu-Praso in the Central Region to the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi early Monday.

The robbers, who wore face masks and wielded AK 47 rifles, intercepted the Sprinter bus on which they were travelling at Adiembra and ordered the driver to stop amid sporadic shooting.

A male passenger at the back seat of the bus was wounded on the buttocks as the robbers held the passengers hostage at about 3 a.m in an operation which lasted about 20 minutes.

They forced the passengers, mostly traders, to lie face-down as they robbed them of money, mobile phones and other personal belongings.

The driver of the Sprinter bus, with registration AW 3297-13, who identified himself only as Moro abandoned the vehicle and fled into the bush, throwing away his ignition keys, phone and money.

Among the heavy losers, are a shoe seller who lost over four thousand cedis and some Nigerien nationals said to be returning home who also lost their life savings.

The attack compelled the traumatized traders to abandon the trip and return home empty-handed after lodging complaints with the Assin Fosu police.

Police were yet to visit the crime scene at time of filing this report.

But reports say attacks of this nature are becoming an annual affair. Similar attacks have been recorded in previous years on the Twifu Praso-Assin Fosu stretch.