Police Officer before court

Accra July 14, GNA - A Policeman, Lance Corporal Ignatius Asamoah Mensah on Tuesday appeared before an Accra Circuit Court, charged with conspiracy and robbery.

Mensah is said to have proceeded to a house with four others at Nii Boi Town where they robbed two persons of GH 3,100 cedis.

Mensah and his accomplices, who were also policemen, now at large, alleged that their victims were engaged in internet fraud. They therefore demanded monies from them, but they could not get any.

They however ransacked a room in the house and succeeded in breaking the drawer of a wardrobe and made away with the money.

He has pleaded not guilty and the court presided over by Mrs. Elizabeth Ankomah has remanded him to police custody to reappear on July 27.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mary Agbozo said the complainant is a fire officer, while Mensah is in charge of Police vehicle number GP 1382 attached to the Legon Police Station.

At about 0430 hours on July 3, Mensah accompanied four of his colleagues dressed in police uniforms boarded the police vehicle and a BMW car with registration number GR 4960 T and went to the complainant's sons namely; Leslie Ofori and Sabatain Nsoh's house at Nii Boi town in Accra.

When they got to the house, Mensah and his accomplices arrested Nsoh and his friends: Kelvin Solo, Ransford Adu Gyamfi who were passing the night with him.

They alleged that the victims were engaging in internet fraud popularly called Sakawa.

Mensah and his accomplices therefore demanded money and when the victims could not give them any, they broke into the wardrobe and made away with the GH 3,100 cedis.

Prosecution said thereafter, Mensah and his accomplice put Ntow and Nsoh in the police vehicle while the BMW followed them to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) at the Police Headquarters.

The prosecutor said when the policemen got to the Jubilee House area they abandoned Ntow and Nsoh and sped off.

The two victims however took the police vehicle number and that of the BMW.

When Ntow and Nsoh got home, Ntow narrated their ordeal to his mother who called the CID who denied the order to arrest the victims.

Ntow's mother proceeded to the Police Intelligence Professional Standards and lodged a complainant.

During interrogation Mensah denied the offence but during a search GH 500 cedis was retrieved from his room.

He claimed that the GH 500 cedis was part of a loan of GH 1,300 he procured from the Barclays Bank.

Prosecution said in an identification parade, Nsoh identified Mensah as the one who robbed him, adding that the police was conducting further investigations into the matter.

GNA