Kumasi, Jan.18, GNA - A Kumasi Circuit Court on Wednesday remanded a 22- year- old fetish priest into prison custody for allegedly defrauding eight members of the same family of GH=A22,686 (over A220 million) under the pretext of excavating family gold buried in the ground by their forebears.

Kofi Barima pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, fraud and unlawful damage and he will re-appear before the court on January 28. Meanwhile police has mounted a search for his two accomplices who are at large.

Giving details to the court, presided over by Mr. Justice Ernest Yao Obimpeh, Chief Inspector R. K. Akoto said the complainants; Kwadwo Adjei, Isaac Yaw Adjei, Kwaku Oppong, Baffour Agyarko, Daniel Awuah, James Kabutey among others are residents in Kumasi. He said in October 2006, the complainants sought the help of the accused person and his accomplices on different occasions to help them dig the gold buried at Humabenasi, their native town in the Ashanti Region.

Chief Inspector Akoto noted that the accused and the others promised to carry out the job thereby charging each one of them to pay for items including 20 blue space Paris spray, 20 top county powder, 30 fowls, 10 cartons of schnapps, five goats and a cash of GH=A2150 all to the tune of over GH=A22000.

The items were meant for the performance of the necessary rituals before the gold could be dug.

After sometime, one of the complainants realized Kofi had reneged on his promise hence he hired a taxi cab to trace accused to his village at Yonso near Jamasi.

Accused, who got offended damaged part of the vehicle and a report was made to the police leading to his arrest but the rest managed to escape. A search conducted on him revealed a pot containing some soil and a cash of GH=A2500. In his caution statement, he admitted the offence and was charged and arraigned.