Crime & Punishment of Thursday, 14 July 2011

Source: GNA

Driver and mechanic remanded for robbery

Accra, July 14, GNA - An Accra Circuit Court on Thursday remanded into prison custody a driver and an auto mechanic for alleged robbery.

George Addai Marfo, driver and Joseph Idan aka Abeiku, an auto mechanic, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to rob and robbery.

They were remanded to re-appear on July 25.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Reynolds Agyeman told the court presided over by Mr Eric Kyei Baffour that the complainant, Mr Eric Owusu Appiagyei, driver of KIA Pride taxi cab with registration Number GR 8353-11, who resides in Mataheko, a suburb of Accra lodged a complaint at the Kaneshie Police about his stolen taxi.

He said the complainant was driving his taxi on that fateful day and on reaching Flamingo traffic light intersection at Mataheko, Marfo stopped him and approached him to convey him to his mother at Sowutuom.

The prosecutor said Marfo boarded the taxi and directed the driver to where he would pick his mother and after driving over a short distance, he pulled a knife and ordered the driver to hand over the ignition key and get out of the vehicle which the driver obliged.

ASP Agyeman said Idan who was also armed with a cutlass hiding behind a wall rushed on the driver pulled him out of the vehicle and collected his weekly sales of GH¢185 and sped off with the taxi.

The Prosecutor said the Police after receiving the message, alerted all police stations within Greater Accra Region on the crime.

He said later the police had a tip off that the accused persons had removed the original licence plate of the vehicle and replaced it with DVLA trial plate with registration number DV 2560-10 and sprayed the yellow portions of the vehicle white.

ASP Agyeman said the Police mounted a surveillance at Russia and Sukura where the accused persons were seen driving the vehicle towards Banana Inn and were arrested.

He said during interrogation, the accused persons admitted the offence and claimed that, one K.K. now at large gave them GH¢50 to spray and fix the DVLA trial plate on the vehicle. They were charged with the offence after investigations.