Accra (Greater Accra), 23rd April ?99 ?

Three persons suspected to be members of a car stealing syndicate operating in the Accra Metropolis on Thursday appeared before a circuit tribunal in Accra.

Yaw Manu, alias Smart, 21, a trader, Louis Teiko Foli, 24, unemployed and Nuhu Musah, 42, a driver, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and attempting to steal. They were each granted two million cedis bail with one surety to reappear on May seven. An accomplice, who the prosecution named as Abiola charged with the same offence, is on the run. Police Inspector James Kwame Anneh told the tribunal chaired by Mr Charles Louis Quist that at about 1700 hours on February 12, Mrs Victoria Amoah, the complainant, parked her Toyota saloon car in front of the Seraphine Surgical Limited (SSL) at the Accra North Industrial Area.

Inspector Anneh said a security man at the gate of the company saw that someone entered the car, came out, entered another vehicle with registration number GT 1785 P and sped off. The prosecutor said on her return, Mrs Amoah detected that someone had forced the front door of her car open.

Inspector Anneh said the registration number of the vehicle was communicated to the Greater Accra Regional Police Command, who arrested the vehicle with the three accused persons at Korle-Bu on the same day.

Abiola who was with the accused persons escaped.

The prosecutor said when the car was searched, another number plate bearing registration number GT 8646 P, which was the actual registration number of the vehicle, was found hidden in it. The prosecutor said during interrogation, Manu, Foli and Musah admitted attempting to steal from Mrs Amoah's car. He said they also confessed to forcibly opening other cars in the metropolis and making away with suitcases and other valuable items.