Houseboy In Court For Robbery

Samuel Oppong (the houseboy), Joseph Dodoo, alias Joe, and Isaac Ahinful, who is currently at large, reportedly drugged the guard dog in the house to enable them carryout their operation.

They were arraigned before a court presided over by Francis Obiri and charged with conspiracy to commit crime and robbery. The suspects have, however, denied the charges.

They have subsequently been put in police custody while the case has been adjourned to September 5, 2014.

Narrating the facts of the case, the prosecuting officer, ASP Cynthia Anderson, said the complainant was one Grace Otu, a business woman living at Ogbojo with her daughter, Blondy Otu.

According to the prosecutor, Oppong was a houseboy who had started working for the complainant less than two months ago.

According her, the houseboy was under probation and was therefore not given the keys to the gate. She added that on August 18, 2014, at 2:00am robbers invaded the house of the complainant, but the guard dog failed to bark or do anything to draw the attention of the complainant.

ASP Anderson explained that three men had stormed the house that night, fired some shots into the doors after they had already gained access to the house, and harassed all occupants in it.

In addition, she said they took the mobile phones of the occupants, except that of the houseboy, one Samsung plasma television, one laptop, a sum of GH¢120 and other personal effects. She disclosed that while ransacking the rooms, the robbers insisted that Blondy Otu surrendered an amount of $2,500 she intended to use in purchasing her air ticket.

She explained that prior to the attack, at about 10:30pm the previous night, the houseboy got access to the gate's key, turned off the switch of the electric fence wire, and went out to buy a mosquito coil.

The police officer stated that the houseboy returned home unnoticed, kept the switch of the fence off, and drugged the dog, thereby facilitating the entry of the his accomplices.

On arrival, the robbers allegedly cut open the fence wire at the back of the house to create an opening to carry their booty out, and to use it as their emergency exit.

The prosecutor revealed that one of the suspects, Dodoo, had also worked on a wardrobe in Blondy's room during which time he had heard her on skype asking a friend to send her $2,500 to buy a ticket for her journey abroad the following weekend.

She pointed out that the persistent demand for the money by the suspects implied that Dodoo had obviously told the others about the $2,500.

Explaining further, she disclosed that other suspects, whose particulars had not been found yet, but visited the house on August 10 as guests of the houseboy, were also being investigated in connection with the robbery, adding that efforts are being made to arrest the suspects.

By Fidelia Achama