A Circuit court in Accra presided over by Her Honour Madam Afia Owusua Appiah, has remanded into police custody one Enock Otoo, a car dealer for robbery.

Otoo, the accused, and two others currently at large have been charged with two counts, to wit, conspiracy to rob and robbery contrary to Sections 23 (1) and 149 of Criminal Offences Act 1960 (Act 29) respectively.

Otoo, who appeared before the court on Monday, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Court Correspondent Muntalla Inusah reports that the accused person has been remanded to reappear on May 18, 2020.

Brief facts

Brief facts as presented to the court by Chief Inspector William K. Boateng were that the complainant, Clement Doudu, is a taxi driver and resident of Pokuase Mayera, near Accra.

“The accused person, Enock Otoo, is a car dealer and resident of Kasoa in the Central Region,” he said.

According to the prosecution, on April 7, 2020, the complainant was in charge of Hyundai i10 with the registration No. GG2130-20 plying Ofankor to Accra.

The prosecutor told the court that the complainant on the same day was stopped by Otoo at about 4:00a.m. and requested the services of the driver from Ofankor Spot-M and subsequently to GIMPA, Accra

He added that on reaching Royal Fiesta Hotel, from where a bypass leads to GIMPA, Otoo ordered him to stop, which he obliged.

“He (Otoo) immediately started to remove his (driver’s) car ignition key forcibly but the complainant resisted. In the process of the struggle, another person emerged from the forest with a long knife and a short gun and threatened to kill him (complainant) if he did not comply with the orders,” he explained to the court

He added that “They finally succeeded in snatching the Hyundai i10 taxi with the registration number 2130-20 and an amount of GHc2100 and bolted.”

Chief Inspector Boateng said on April 10, 2020, the witness in the case, who is the original driver of the taxi, called to inform the police that the said taxi had a tracker on it and that they had tracked it to a certain spraying workshop at Akotsi Junction in the Central Region.

“The complainant then requested the assistance of Ojobi Police for the arrest of the sprayer. The car and the sprayer were sent to Ojobi Police Station.

At the police station, he said, “the sprayer mentioned Kofi as the one who brought him the said car to be sprayed. The police invited the said Kofi and he also mentioned the 1st accused, Enock Otoo, as his source.”

“Otoo”, the prosecutor said, “was arrested through the said Kofi (somewhere) along the Winneba road. While on their way to Ojobi Police Station, suspect Kofi managed to escape and left 1st accused person, Enock Otoo.”

“A search was conducted in the 1st accused person’s room, which led to the discovery of various car documents, a long knife, a black hat, and different car number plates.

“Accused was identified by complainant as the one who robbed him, on April 7 on the GIMPA bypass, of his taxi-cab.

“Accused Enock Otoo in his caution statement mentioned one Vonn, who, he alleged, gave the said car (to him) to be sold but he could not lead the police to the said Vonn,” he told the court.

“Further investigation revealed that the accused collected an amount of GHc10, 000 from a police officer with no. 42975 G/CPL and called Seth Kwaku Agbada, who is also a witness in this case, with the intention of selling the said car to him.”

After investigation, the accused was charged and put before this court, the prosecutors said.