Kumasi, June 7, GNA - A 25-year-old man who tricked his 80-year-old grandmother to thumbprint bank withdrawal forms and stole 7.9 million cedis from her bank savings was on Monday arraigned before a Kumasi Circuit Court.

Modestus Deriko pleaded not guilty to stealing and was granted bail in the sum of 15 million cedis with one surety to reappear on July 4. Police Chief Inspector Agnes Dinkyini told the court, presided over by Mr Essel Mensah, that the complainant is a pito seller and the accused her grandson, who works with a private security company. She said in April this year, Deriko told the grandmother who operates a savings account with the Ahinsan branch of the Ghana Commercial Bank that her bankers were selling fridges and television sets to its aged customers at a reduced cost.

The accused therefore carried her to the bank and made her to thumbprint a withdrawal form, which he said, was a condition for receiving the items she wanted.

He thereafter, convinced her to go home and then cashed 2.5 million cedis from her account.

The accused on two other occasions also deceived the old lady to thumbprint withdrawal forms for two million and one million cedis, respectively, and pocketed the amount.

At another time, the complainant gave Deriko 2.4 million cedis cash to deposit in her account but that money never got to the bank. The complainant, realising that it was taking far too long to receive the items supposedly being offered by the bank, confronted the accused but he could not offer any tangible reasons. She became suspicious and reported to the police. 07 June 05