WHEN THE Akwatia police in the Eastern Region communicated to their counterparts in Sekondi-Takoradi that they had found the Suzuki Vitara car with registration number GK 3535, which got missing from the Beach Road roundabout car washing bay, Kofi Amankwa, the owner the bay, heaved a sign of relief.

Kofi Amankwa had been arrested, together with his night watchman, and placed in police custody by the Takoradi Central police, following a report made to the police by one Joseph Manu, the owner of the stolen vehicle.

Manu thought it was Kofi Amankwa who stole the car.

But contrary to what Kofi Amankwa and his watchman may be thinking, after the vehicle had been found, their freedom is far from over as the Akwatia police, who managed to arrest the 26-year old suspect, Eric Kwesi, and the stolen car, are demanding a whopping sum of ?6milion from him before allowing the Takoradi police to bring the car and the suspect to Takoradi to face trial.

Though the command of the Takoradi police dispatched a detective, together with Kofi Amankwa, to Akwatia to bring down the car and the suspect, the Akwatia police refused to hand over because the ?6million they are demanding for managing to arrest the suspect and the car has not been handed over to them.

The Akwatia police are claiming that Kofi Amankwa and the owner of the vehicle placed an announcement on Peace FM in Accra, indicating that anyone who would help them trace the car would be given a reward of ?6million. Kofi Amankwaa has vehemently denied this claim.

Chronicle investigations revealed that on April 29 this year, Mr. Joseph Manu sent the car for washing at the washing bay. At the time Kofi Amankwaa closed from work, Manu had still not reported to the place to pick up his car.

In view of this, Kofi Amankwaa handed over the keys to the car to his watchman and instructed him to hand it over to Manu, should he come to the place in his absence to pick up his car.

After Kofi Amankwaa had left, one of the boys he is working with reportedly tricked the watchman that the car was not well parked and that he should give him the keys to do the right thing, which the watchman obliged.

Before the watchman could realise anything, the suspect, Eric Kwesi, had moved away with the car to an unknown destination.

When this sad event was made known to Manu the next day when he reported to pick his car, he became suspicious and subsequently caused the arrest of the two.

Announcement was quickly placed on both Skyy Power FM in Takoradi and Peace FM in Accra, leading to the arrest of Eric Kwesi and the car by the Akwatia police on May Day.

Chronicle learnt that when Kofi Amankwaa and a detective from the Takoradi Police went to Akwatia for the car and the suspects, the Akwatia Police claimed they spent ?500,000 before they were able to arrest the boy and that the amount should be refunded to them.

Kofi Amankwaah obliged and even added ?200,000, bringing the total amount to ?700,000.

Surprisingly, the Akwatia police rejected the money, claiming that the announcement placed on Peace FM stated clearly that the founder of the vehicle would be given ?6million and that they are demanding that money instead.

Though the Akwatia police were asked to accompany them to Accra to ascertain their claim that they promised to give out ?6million to anybody who would find the car, he reportedly refused but still demanded to be paid the 6million before releasing the car.

To this stalemate, Kofi Amankwaa and the detective returned to Takoradi without the car and the suspect.