Aflao, June 18, GNA - Police at Aflao are questioning a worker of the Liberty Cold Store at Aflao for allegedly conniving with others to steal millions of cedis from the company's wooden safe.

Stone Sena, 27, the suspect was arrested upon a tip off during one of such operations to rob the company last Monday, June 11. The Police retrieved a total of 29.5 million cedis from him. Mr Issah Ahmed Yakubu, Assistant Superintendent of Police in charge of Aflao told the Ghana News Agency that as part of the plot, a member of the clique would go into hiding in the cold room when it was about time to close in the evening while the unsuspecting managers locked up the place by the close of day.

He said deep at night, the one in hiding comes out through the loosely secured cold room door into the main office to steal money from the safe, hide the money among the cartons of fish in the cold room and return to the main office to pass the night.

Mr Yakubu said the suspect, whose movement was directed by other clique members through cell phones, went back into hiding in the cold room when it was about time to open the store for business the following day.

He said the suspect finally sneaked into the crowd of customers and other unsuspecting colleagues unnoticed and later the stolen money was taken out bit by bit sometimes by stuffing the monies into cartons of fish, which they delivered to prearranged buyers. Mr Yakubu said a former worker of the company, who had been aware of the operations of Sena's group, recently had a misunderstanding with Sena and decided to expose him.

He said that former worker followed on Sena's trail and assuring himself that he was hiding in the cold room hinted the cold store owners on the modus operandi of the group. He advised that the store should be checked thoroughly when it was opened the following day.

Mr Yakubu said during a search the following morning, Sena was found hiding among cartons of fish in the cold room and handed over to the police.

He said initially Sena denied any wrongdoing. Mr Yakubu said Sena took the police through a hell of time, insisting on his innocence until the police agreed to his demand that they would withhold all confessions to them. He said the suspect finally led the police to the cold room where the 29.5 million cedis hidden in various parts of the cold room were retrieved.

Mr Yakubu said the Police was intensifying investigations to bring one other suspect now at large to book.

Mr Emmanuel Ayiku, Manager of the Cold Store, corroborating the story said the company experienced regular shortfalls in their sales with no signs of any break-ins to the point that mistrust developed among the owners of the place until Sena's arrest. 18 June 07