Evangelist steals cash and gifts of newly wedded couple

Kumasi, Aug 6, GNA -Isaac Boakye, a self-styled Evangelist, who collected envelopes and parcels meant for a newly wedded couple and bolted with them, on Wednesday feigned deafness when he appeared before a Kumasi circuit court charged with stealing.

It took the intervention of the police detective investigating the case before the accused talked.

He pleaded guilty to the charge and was remanded to re-appear on August 15.

Police Chief Inspector John Afful told the court that the accused had been a long-standing friend of the bridegroom, Akwasi Boakye. He said the accused poses as an Evangelist and preaches on commercial vehicles that ply the Kumasi-Sunyani route and within the Kumasi Metropolis.

Chief Inspector Afful said on July 26, the complainant was wedding his fianc=E9 at the Kotei Church of Christ near the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and that though the accused was not invited he managed to sneak into the church premises where he posed as one of the people tasked to collect gifts on behalf of the couple.

He said after collecting a bulk of the envelopes containing money and other gifts into a sack the accused bolted with the booty.

After the ceremony, the couple lodged a complaint with the police, who mounted an intensive search for him but could not trace him. Chief Inspector Afful said the couple traced the accused to his hideout at Abuakwa near Kumasi and he was arrested.