A 34-year-old fake auto mechanic, Dominic Acquah has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by a Tarkwa circuit court for stealing a Hyundai Grace bus valued GH¢9,000.00 at Dixcove in the Western Region.

He pleaded guilty.

Prosecuting Detective Chief Inspector Oscar Amponsah told the court presided over by Mr. Samuel Obeng Diawuo that the complainant is a transport owner at Dixcove.

He said on May 21, this year around 7:30 pm the complainant's driver after work parked the Hyundai Grace bus with registration number GR 2636 Z at Dixcove Lorry Station.

According to the Prosecutor, on May 22 around 5:00 am, he went back to pick his vehicle for work and detected that it had been stolen. He subsequently reported the matter to the Police.

Detective Amponsah said around 12:00 noon on May 24, the Tarkwa Police patrol team had information that some group of persons were moving suspiciously around Trans Royal Cocoa Shed at Aboso in the Prestea Huni/Valley district with unregistered Hyundai Grace bus. The seats in the bus had been removed and the suspects were planning to break into the cocoa shed.

Detective Amponsah said upon the tip-off the Police traced the vehicle to Wassa Nkran where they met the convict in the vehicle with an iron cutter, crow bar and a pinch bar.

He said when Acquah was questioned as to what he was doing with those implements, he explained that the two other accused persons who are now at large, brought the vehicle to Aboso for him to repair.

The convict added that they were on a try test on the rough road to Wassa Nkran which is a distance of about 35 kilometers from Aboso.

Detective Amponsah said the offender was arrested immediately but his accomplices never returned.

He said investigation conducted by the Police revealed that the convict who stays at Kwasimintim, is not an auto mechanic at Bogoso junction rather he went to Dixcove with his accomplices to steal the vehicle.

The Prosecutor said the complainant later had information that his vehicle had been impounded at Tarkwa and proceeded to identify and claim ownership of it by producing genuine documents.**