Three robbers remanded

Three robbers remanded
February 10, 2010
Accra, Feb. 10, GNA - Three persons believed to be members of a syndicate who trail people who disembark at the Kotoka International Airport and rob them of their belongings at gun point, on Wednesday appeared before an Accra Fast Track High Court.

Magnus Okraku, a businessman, Bright Akakpo, a farmer, and Seth Kumah, a trader, have pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy and robbery.

Another person identified as Wisdom and others are at large.

The Court presided over by Mr Justice Charles Quist remanded them into prison custody to reappear on February 24.

Mr Rexford Owiredu, a Principal State Attorney, said the accused persons and others at large developed a modus operandi of robbing victims returning from abroad.

The prosecution said they parked their Toyota Yaris car which they sprayed more often in different colours at the Shell Filling Station near the Airport.

Mr. Owiredu said Okraku sent syndicate to the Airport to monitor and trail victims with many goods to their homes.

Prosecution said as soon as the group got to the victims' homes, they robbed them at gun point of their belongings.

On August 22 this year, Nana Asante, a travel agent and the complainant, went to the Airport to transport his wife and son who had returned from London, home.

Okraku, Akakpo, Kumah and others at large trailed the complainant and his family from the Airport roundabout to their house at Taifa Burkina and robbed them of a Toyota Rav 4 vehicle, bags containing personal effects, three mobile phones, three passports and unspecified foreign currencies.

Mr. Owiredu said the accused persons after subjecting the complainant to severe beatings, asked members of the family to lie down else they would shoot them.

After the incident they sped off in an ash Toyota Yaris car and later abandoned three empty bags and the Rav 4 vehicle in the bush at Okponglo.

During investigations, Mr Owiredu said, it was detected that Okraku visited a spraying shop at Madina Zongo were he had changed the colour of the Toyota Yaris more than four times.

On November 8, 2009 one Justice was picked by the Police at Tip Toe Lane in Accra when he attempted to sell the passport of the complainant's son.

During interrogation Justice mentioned Okraku as his source and he was also arrested at Tip Toe lane when he resurfaced to collect money from the sale of the passport.

GNA