Tema, April 1, GNA - A labourer who stole assorted telephone cards valued at 1,490,000 cedis from a communication centre has been jailed for six months with hard labour by the TDC magistrate court at Tema. Maxwell Ampah pleaded guilty.

Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Matilda Tetteh told the court presided over by Nana Agyeman Badu that on March 26, 2004, at 6 a.m. Miss Bernice Adjokatse reported for duty at her communication centre when Ampah entered to make a call. She said after the call, Ampah told Bernice that he was expecting another call within 10 minutes, and therefore, sat down in the room to wait for his call, during which time she (Bernice) had gone out to call a neighbour who had had a call from outside.

Chief Inspector Tetteh said while a witness was listing to her call, Bernice went outside to sweep the frontage of her centre, and Ampah took advantage of her absence to collect phone cards on the counter and left the centre. After the witness had finished her call, Bernice went behind the counter to give her a balance, and it was there she detected the theft of the assorted phone cards valued at 1,490,000 cedis.

The witness traced the accused and when she saw him, she raised an alarm and he was arrested and sent to Ashaiman police station. Inspector Tetteh said when Ampah was searched, the missing phone cards were found on him.