Three foreign nationals - a Chinese, an Indian and a Burkinabe - and their local Ghanaian counterparts, have been arrested in an anti-illegal mining crackdown at Bosome Freho in the Ashanti Region.

The operation led by the Acting Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator, Captain (Retired) John Jabari also saw the seizure of six excavators used in the destruction of farmlands and forest reserves by the illegal miners.

The illegal miners have devastated tracts of lands and water bodies in local communities at Bosome Freho, with their operations also affecting road networks to these communities.

The joint security operation, which included personnel from the police, Ghana Immigration Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Minerals Commission, was part of efforts to clamp down illegal mining activities in the area. "We have seized about six excavators currently and we are leaving them at the assembly and the police will keep watch over it," he said.