Man jailed 8 years for car battery theft linked to death of 7-month old baby

A court at Bekwai in Ashanti Region has sentenced a 36-year-old scrap dealer Kofi Asamoah to eight years in prison for stealing a car battery belonging to a couple.

The distraught couple say the theft led to the death of their 7-month old baby.

Kofi Asamoah and two accomplices, who are at large, denied the car owner use of the vehicle when he critically needed it to rush his sick child to the hospital.

Mother of the deceased, Mary Anima sobbed uncontrollably when Nhyira FM’s Akosua Osei Tutu visited the bereaved family at Pakyi Number One in the Ashanti region.

According to father of deceased, Richard Boampong, he was in bed when the child suddenly screamed. “His mother shouted, the baby is dying, so in an attempt to rush the baby to the hospital, I tried to start the car but the car wouldn’t start but it was later that I realised the car battery had been stolen”

“All our efforts to get the little boy to the hospital had failed, so my wife and I sent the boy to see a nurse in the neighbourhood but he died on arrival”.

According to Akosua Osei Tutu, the culprit, Kofi Asamoah who had been on Police wanted list for a different crime was arrested after a suspicious driver turned him in. He took the police back to where he stole the car battery after the little boy had died.

Meanwhile, the Greater Accra Regional Police Commander has urged all vehicle owners to invest in tracking devices to help fight the criminal acts of car thieves and armed robbers.

DCOP Christian Tetteh Yohuno
DCOP Christian Tetteh Yohuno made this call after parading 10 suspected criminals alleged to have stolen cars, possessed Indian hemp and engaged in armed robbery.

According to Joy News’ Hannah Odame who was at a news conference organised by the police, the suspected criminals are alleged to have stolen two cars, a Toyota pick-up and a Land Cruiser at Botianor, a suburb of Accra.

Fortunately, the Toyota pick-up had a tracking device which helped the police to track and recover the two stolen vehicles at Sogakope.

DCOP Tetteh Yohuno said the police would not have been able to recover the stolen vehicles that were being sent to Togo if not for the tracking device.

He urged all vehicle users to get the device which costs just about Ȼ800.00 to help reduce car theft and armed robbery.

He also warned criminals who plan to intensify their operations as Christmas approaches to desist from doing so because the Police are on the lookout.