Accra: Two in court for allegedly robbing online trader of electrical gadgets

Two persons have appeared in an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly robbing an online trader of electronic gadgets worth GHc126,300.

They are Edward Kweku Sena, a 43-year-old instructor and Derrick Botchway a 35-year-old driver.

An accomplice whose name was given as Quaye is at large.

Sena and Botchway have been charged with conspiracy to commit crime and robbery.

Also in the dock is Okoh Chuks, a 32-year-old trader and Enoch Okyere aka Lawerh, who are being held on the charge of dishonestly receiving.

Police say accomplices of Chuks and Okyere, namely Denis and one Benjamin Addo are also at large.

They are alleged to have received one Samsung Tablets A8 and other electronic devices belonging to the complainant, Isaac Kofi Amano, at Kwame Nkrumah Circle on February 12, 2024.

At the Court, the accused- Sena, Botchway, Chuks and Okyere- pleaded not guilty to the various charges.

The court, presided over by Mrs Kizita Naa Koowa Quashie, admitted them to bail in the sum of GHC500,000 each, with two sureties to be justified.

The accused were ordered to deposit their passports, copies of Voter's ID or Ghana Cards at the court registry.

The court further ordered them to report to the police once a week.

The matter has been adjourned to April 30, 2024.

The prosecution, led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Emmanuel Haligah, stated that the Complainant, Amano, is an online trader and a resident of Lashibi, Tema.

It said Okoh, the first accused, is a phone dealer and a resident of Ofankor Barrier, and Sena, the second accused, is a Cadet instructor.

The third accused, Okyere, is a businessman, and the fourth accused, Botchway, is a driver living at Accra.

The prosecutor stated that Quaye, the fifth accused, Benjamin Addo, the sixth accused, “The Don,” the seventh accused, and Denis, the eighth accused, are all at large.

According to the prosecution, on February 12, 2024, the complainant advertised an Apple iPad Pro valued at GHC 7,000.00 on an online trading site, jiji.com, and was contacted by a buyer who pretended to be interested.

The court heard that the buyer then lured the complainant to the LEKMA Polyclinic in Teshie around 1700 hours for the transaction.

The prosecution said the complainant was attacked upon arrival by some unknown individuals posing as police officers from the CID headquarters.

According to the prosecution, the alleged Police Officers immediately handcuffed the complainant at gunpoint and forcefully dragged him into their car, collected all his items, including 12 Samsung Galaxy tablets valued at GHC 79, 200.00, six Apple iPad tablets valued at GHC 16,600.00, one iPhone 13 pro max valued at GHC 8, 400.00, and a Dell laptop valued at GHC 3,500.

The prosecution said the alleged officers also collected an iPad 3 Air valued at GHC 4,500.00, an iPhone 12 Pro Max valued at GHC 6,500.00, a Samsung Galaxy A12 costing GHC 1500, three Samsung Galaxy keyboards valued at GHC 4,500, two Samsung Galaxy cases valued at GHC 200, and an iPad keyboard valued at GHC 1,400, and took the complainant into their car to be allegedly sent to the CID headquarters.

It said the men reached the Palace Mall on the Spintex road, they threw the complainant out of their car and fled with the entire bounty.

The court was told that the alleged police officers robbed the complainant at gunpoint of his Samsung A12 mobile phone and an HP laptop.

According to the prosecutor, the complainant reported the matter to the police and subsequently petitioned the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for a thorough investigation to be conducted.

On February 14, 2024, Chuks was arrested at Kwame Nkrumah Circle with one of the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 and was brought to the CID Headquarters for interrogation.

During interrogation, Chuks admitted to receiving the stolen tablet from one of the eight accused, Denis, whom he has known for a long time, but failed to lead the police to the arrest.

The prosecution said the complainant identified the Samsung Tablet A8 as one of the items stolen from him on February 12, 2024.

It said on March 22, 2024, Sena and Addo were spotted at LEKMA Hospital after a series of robberies by some of their victims.

The prosecution said Sena was arrested with the assistance of a police patrol team, but Addo, the sixth accused, managed to escape.

The prosecutor said a search conducted in their car revealed one handcuff, a police force Gota phone and a desert boot.

The prosecution said Okyere and Botchway were subsequently arrested at their respective hideouts for their involvement in the crime.

The prosecutor said Sena and Botchway during interrogation admitted to robbing some victims of their valuables, together with one Quaye who is still at large, and sold some to Addo, Don and Dennis.

It said police investigation revealed that on February 12, 2024, Botchway and Quaye, who are currently at large, posed as police officers from the CID Headquarters, robbed the complainant of his items and sold some of them to Chuks, Addo, the Don and Dennis through Okyere.

On February 25, 2024, during an identification parade held outside the forecourt of the CID offices, the complainant identified Sena and Botchway as a part of the gang that robbed him on February 12, 2024.

GNA