Crime & Punishment of Monday, 5 October 2015

Source: Daily Guide

Fake national security operative caged

Library Photo: Arrested Library Photo: Arrested

A 28-year-old man, who presented himself as a National Security operative and attempted to arrest a businessman in Accra, has been caged.

Nana Kofi Gyekye was arrested and sent to the Israel police station on September 26, 2015 with the help of the complainant and some passers-by.

The accused has since been remanded by the Amasaman district magistrate court to reappear today after he was officially charged with the offence of impersonating a public officer.

The complainant, name withheld, who was called by the prosecuting team, led by Nashiru Salifu, said the incident occurred around 9:00am on September 26, 2015.

The complainant told the court that he was from Fan Milk near Ablekuma where he resides and heading towards Israel near Alhaji in Accra that fateful day to collect his faulty generator from a repairer.

While on his way, complainant said he saw two motor bikes chasing him.

Sensing danger, the complainant told the court that he sped off and finally stopped in front of the generator repairer’s shop.

One of the motor bikes then stopped in front of him while another stopped at a distance.

Nana Kofi, “who was sitting as a pillion on one of the motor bikes, stopped and approached me”.

The complainant noted that after introducing himself as a National Security operative, Nana Kofi removed his mobile phone from his pocket where he had saved particulars of the complainant including his passport details, pictures, vehicle number, his wife’s car number and where they lived.

Nana Kofi went ahead to tell the complainant the school his children attended.

He then ordered the complainant to drive his car to the Railways police station since he was under arrest.

The complainant said when he asked of his offence, Nana Kofi said he took a loan of GHC2000 from a bank and had defaulted which was why he was being wanted.

The complainant said when he asked the accused to show his identity card to him, the latter refused, adding that the complainant would know the truth when they get to the station.

Complainant narrated that he pretended to be following the orders of the accused and after accused had sat in his vehicle, he drove the car straight to the Israel police station to report the matter.

At the station, the accused still insisted that he was a National Security operative detailed to apprehend the complainant for failing to repay a loan he collected from a micro finance company some time ago.

Police then invited some officials from the National Security to the station but they denied knowing the accused.

Nasiru Salifu, the prosecutor, also told the court that the accused, while in custody, mentioned one Ibrahim aka David Anniah, as the one who sent him to arrest the complainant, but when the said person was invited to the station, he denied sending the accused.

However, when the trial Judge asked the accused what he does for a living, he said he was a Cadre.

When he was further asked to produce his identity card in court, he claimed that their T-shirt was their identity.

The accused was then granted bail in the sum of GHc1,000 with two sureties to reappear today.