Crime & Punishment of Sunday, 26 May 2013
Source: Daily Guide
Two soldiers, who were arrested together with some civilians by the Tesano Police for terrorizing customers, who visit the Abeka Lapaz Branch of Global Access Money Transfer, have been remanded by an Accra Circuit Court.
Lance Corporal Obeng Darko aka Stylish, 29, and Lance Corporal Dasmani Faisal, 27, of 49 EngineerTraining School and 48 Engineer Regiment respectively, together with Christopher Quainoo, 27, and Isaac Larbi, 25, unemployed civilians, were remanded into police custody to re-appear on June 4, 2013.
A provisional charge of kidnapping and robbery were preferred against them at the court presided over by Patience Anokye.
The suspects were nabbed on May 18, 2013 after police spotted a suspect Isaac Larbi, who made phone calls at the bank while observing the movement of customers.
Police became suspicious and arrested the suspect for questioning. The last number dialed on his mobile phone was called and when the person picked the call, he was asked to come over since everything was ready. Within some minutes, the two suspects, Lance Corporals Obeng and Dasmani came to the place in a taxi together with Christopher.
They were immediately whisked away to the station for questioning by the police. Preliminary investigations revealed that the two soldiers and the civilian came to the bank to undertake nefarious activities.
The suspects later confessed robbing people of various amounts of money but pleaded for mercy since that was their fourth time.
According to the suspects, they only had GH¢350 from their first victim and out of the money, Isaac was given GH¢50 as his share of the booty.With the second and third operations, suspect Isaac received GH¢50 and GH¢70 as his share but refused to mention the amount they took from the second and third victims.
The two soldiers were later linked to the abduction of a 25-year-old staff of the same bank on May 11, 2013. The soldiers searched the victim for money and pushed him out of the car upon reaching Apenkwa near Achimota. A report was later lodged with the police for further investigations. Chief Inspector Dery, the prosecutor in charge of the case, told the court that the case is still under investigation.