Asamankese (E/R), May 18, GNA - Abdul Sheriff Zakari, a 20-year-old driver, was remanded in prison custody by the Asamankese Circuit Court on Wednesday for allegedly stealing dried cocoa beans. He pleaded guilty with explanation and is to re-appear on May 22. Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Alhassan Amadu, said on December 25 2004, a Purchasing Clerk of the Kuapa Company, Mr Humphrey Cofie, dried over three bags of cocoa beans on a mat in his house. He said at about 0300 hours the next day, when he went to inspect the cocoa beans, to his surprise, he found that all the cocoa beans had disappeared.

The Prosecution said Mr Cofie then informed the residents in the area, who mounted a search and found the polysacks containing the cocoa beans in a nearby bush and laid ambush near the sacks. Inspector Amadu said a few minutes later, a taxicab with registration number GR 3722 N, appeared at a spot nearby and the driver, later identified as Zakari, got down and collected the polysacks containing the cocoa beans and was immediately confronted, but he threw away the sacks and took to his heels.

He was chased, arrested and sent to the Asamankese Police station where he was granted Police bail to appear before court but jumped bail. When Zakaria was put before court on January 26, 2005, he was again granted bail and he bolted till he was re-arrested from his hideout upon a tip-off early this year.