A small-scale miner, Mohammed Razak, 18 years old, who stole mining equipment worth GH¢13,400, has been handed five years imprisonment with hard labor by the Tarkwa Circuit Court. Razak pleaded guilty to the offense and prayed to the court for forgiveness.

Prosecuting, Superintendent of Police Juliana Essel-Dadzie told the court, presided over by Mrs. Hathia Ama Manu, that the complainant is a small-scale miner and lived at Wassa Japa in the Wassa Amenfi East constituency with Razak.

She said barely one month ago, the complainant, who had a small-scale mining site located within the Wassa Japa community, stopped work due to water shortage.

He then dismantled all their mining equipment and kept them on site with the intent to convey them to a safe place later.

Superintendent Essel-Dadzie said when the complainant visited his site the following day, he detected that equipment such as two pairs of crushers (top and down), two pairs of routers, hammers, one pump machine, shovels, and a woolen blanket, all amounting to the tune of GH¢13,400, were stolen.

The court heard that the complainant conducted his own investigation and got hold of Razak, took him to the Wassa Akropong police station, and lodged a case of stealing against him, after which he handed him over to the police.

Superintendent Essel-Dadzie said Razak confirmed to the police that he committed the offense and led them to the Wassa Adiembra community to retrieve the stolen items from a scrap dealer whom he claimed he sold the mining equipment to but was nowhere to be found.