The Juaso Circuit Court, presided over by Mr. Yussif Assibey, has ordered a 32 year-old farmer, alleged to have stolen his stepson, to be held in prison.

Kofi Ampong, whose plea was not taken, reportedly committed the crime at Teshie-Praso, a farming community in the Asante-Akim South District.

The victim, aged seven, is a son of his estranged wife, Janet Ansoma, from a previous marriage.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Andrew Anyani, the District Police Commander, said the accused and Janet had been married for some time and lived together with the missing boy and a three-year son from their marriage.

He said a recent misunderstanding between the couple had forced them to be separated.

On August 02, at about 1600 hours, Janet noticed the absence of the victim from the house and decided to look for him but could not find him anywhere.

She therefore informed the chief and a search party was quickly organized and after more than 12 hours of fruitless search, a formal report was made to the police.

A witness in the case, later hinted the chief that he saw the accused in the company of his (Ampong’s) own biological son and the victim, heading towards the outskirts of the community, the previous day.

When confronted, he admitted taking a walk with the two children, but could not give any convincing reason why he returned his own child to the house without the missing stepson.

He was subsequently handed over to the police for investigation.