Crime & Punishment of Tuesday, 23 December 2008

Source: GNA

Ex-taxi driver arrested at UG for stealing lap-tops

Accra, Dec 23, GNA - The Legon District Police Command has apprehended a 37-year-old former taxi driver, suspected of stealing lap-tops on campus of the University of Ghana, Legon, between January and December 2008.

The Legon District Police Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police, (ASP) Mr Richmond Bonsu, who disclosed this to the GNA said the suspect is believed to have broken into several cars on the Legon Campus from January to December 2008 and made away with 48 Lap-top computers. He said the suspect when questioned by the Police said he was popularly known as Kwaku Atiso, but his driving license bore the name Samuel Atitso while his voters ID card had the name Fred Atiso on it. Mr Bonsu said the Legon Police had been receiving reports about thefts on the campus every month, which include other valuable items from the vehicles of students.

He said surveillance was then mounted at the campus and on December 19, 2008, a police Officer spotted a suspicious vehicle and alerted the University of Ghana Security about the presence of the said vehicle and started trailing it.

When the culprit sensed that he was being trailed, he sped off towards the Commonwealth Hall then later turned to the Link Gate which leads to GIMPA main entrance. He was however apprehended and handed over to the Legon Police. When the vehicle was searched, a University of Ghana ID card bearing the name of a student, who had earlier reported to the Legon Police that her vehicle was broken into and a lap-top and an unspecified amount of money stolen Two wrappers of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp and eight pen-drives were also found in Atitso's car. A search in the house of Atitso at Pokuase, an MP3 Pen-drive belonging to the lady was recovered from his room. The Legon District Police Commander, Mr Richmond Bonsu said after investigations, the culprit would be arraigned before the Madina Magistrate Court for prosecution