A motorbike mechanic, Richard Owoo aka Paa, together with a commercial motor rider, Masawudu Rahim, and Sanusi Abubakar have been put before an Accra Circuit Court for various criminal charges, including robbery and dishonestly receiving.
The accused persons were arraigned on three counts of conspiracy to commit crime, robbery, stealing, and dishonestly receiving.
The Circuit Court ‘5’, presided over Christine Cann, was told yesterday that Owoo and Masawudu were facing three counts of conspiracy to commit crime, stealing and robbery, while Abubakar was answerable to two counts of dishonestly receiving.
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Prosecuting Officer Inspector Jonas Lawer said the accused persons committed the crime with two others – Jowell Gaza and Boye Ka – who are currently on the run.
He said the complainants were Ernest Amanie, who is a commercial motorbike rider, residing at Dansoman, and Michael Tetteh, an auto electrician who also live at Dansoman.
Inspector Lawer said on July 18, 2022, Owoo engaged the services of Ernest Amanie to transport him from West Hills Mall to Dansoman.
According to him, on reaching Pambros, a suburb of Dansoman, Owoo made Ernest to stop under the pretext of urinating.
He continued that as soon as Ernest stopped Owoo suddenly put off the engine of the motorbike and one of his accomplices who is at large, one Jawell Gaza, emerged from a hideout with a sword and they robbed the rider of his motorbike.
Ernest then reported the case to the Dansoman police and the Surveillance Unit of the Operations Department at Police Headquarters mounted a search for the accused persons.
Again, on July 26, 2022, the police had information that the accused persons and two others on the run were into snatching of motorbikes and vehicles within Dansoman and its surrounding suburbs.
As a result, personnel of the Unit were dispatched to Dansoman Pambros, where they arrested Richard Owoo alias Paa and retrieved two motorbikes, three fuel tanks of motorbike, eight motorbike side covers, and six different motorbike number plates.
Owoo was said to have told the police during interrogation that he and one Boye Ka (at large), stole a Toyota Hiace mini bus which they gave to Masawudu and Abubakar to be sold.
Masawudu was also arrested and led the police to arrest Abubakar, who also led the police to Kumasi to retrieve the mini bus.
The owner of the bus, Michael Tetteh, went to the police station to identify it.
Further investigations disclosed that Al and his accomplice, Jowell Gaza, snatched the motorbikes and gave two to A2 to be used for commercial purpose. The two motorbikes are yet to be retrieved.
The court granted Owoo bail in the sum of GH¢100,000 with three sureties, two to be justified with title deeds of landed properties in their names.
Masawudu and Abubakar were granted bail in the sum of GH¢50,000 each, two sureties, one of who is to justify the bail condition with documents of landed property in the name.
The case has been adjourned to August 29, 2022.
