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Crime & Punishment of Sunday, 28 July 2013

Source: The Independent Newspaper

Three slapped with GHc20,000 bail for theft

Three persons have been granted a bail of GHc20,000 with two sureties at the Accra Circuit Court six for various charges of stealing.

The first and second accused, Isaac Atrakpo and Ismat Sokunbi were charged on two counts of conspiracy to commit crime and stealing while Dovia Mawuli was charged with possession of stolen items.

They all pleaded not guilty in a Court presided over by Miss Patience Mills Tetteh.

Chief Inspector Jubiok told the Court, the complainant is a manager of a flower company at La while the first, second and third accused were sales assistant, warehouse supervisor and a gardener respectively.

He said first and second accused used to work at the company’s warehouse, and Ismat Sokunbi was keeping the warehouse keys during their working periods and handed it to one of the managers after close of work.

The prosecutor said during the month of May, 2013, the managers detected theft of some items. Complainant reported the case to the police, and a witness in this case told the police that, during the third week of May, at one night, he saw first and second accused persons carrying boxes loaded with goods from the warehouse into a waiting taxi.

The taxi cab sped off to an unknown destination.

Later, Isaac and Ismat were arrested but denied the offence.

One of the complainants saw some of the stolen goods in a flower shop at South La Estate and informed the police. The police proceeded to the shop and retrieved the following items, two gold vase, one gold and white vase, thirty three flowers.

He disclosed to the Court that, the shop owner mentioned Dovia Mawuli as the one who brought the goods for sale, but she kept them and asked to produce the rightful owner before payment can be done. Third accused told her that his brother brought same from abroad.

On the 10th of July, he said the shop owner now a witness in the case called third accused on his cell phone to come for his money and alerted the Police.

Police ambushed and arrested third accused who was holding three sets of clear stem glass which was one of the stolen items, and was looking for a buyer.

“During interrogation, third accused mentioned first accused as the one who gave all the retrieved goods including the one he was holding to sell for him.

Isaac Atrakpo and Ismat Sokunbi were re- arrested.

Issac Atrakpo in his further cautioned statement admitted the offence but told the Police that he stole only the retrieved items, but second accused still denied the offence,” the prosecutor told the Court.