About US$15,372.6 worth of Hydro Colouring chemicals has allegedly been stolen from the warehouse of Aza Chemical Industries Limited by an employee, Felix Nortey, 28, under the watchful eyes of Bakumben Kwasi Benjamin, 27 and private security officer, who was at post.
Felix, Benjamin and two others – Fuseini Isahaka and Joseph Laryea – who are at large were allegedly responsible for the disappearance of about 89 mini drums of Hydro Colouring chemicals, which Aza Industries uses in the manufacture of paint, from its warehouse at the South Industrial Area in Accra.
Felix Nortey and the private security officer have been slapped with conspiracy to commit crime and stealing, but both have pleaded not guilty to the offence, and have been granted bail to the tune of GH¢60,000 with two sureties each.
The facts of the case as presented by the prosecuting officer, Chief Inspector Samuel Ahinbor, before the court, presided over by Afia Owusua Appiah, yesterday, was that the Director of Public Affairs Aza Chemical Industries Limited, Simon Sackitey, is the complainant in the case.
He said the company had since June 2021 been experiencing the theft of Hydro Colouring chemicals, but it was not until January, 2022 that its management caught the supposed thieves on camera and caused their arrest by the police.
Narrating how things unfolded, he said on January 1, 2022, Benjamin was on duty as the night security guard in the Azar Company yard, and at the time Felix, who closed from work at 5.00 pm, came back to meet Benjamin, and together they stole 26 mini drums of Hydro Colouring chemicals, valued at US$5,448.10.
Using the same modus operandi, he said, the accused persons, together with their accomplices, on January 18, 2022, this time around, stole 63 mini drums of Hydro Colouring chemicals, valued at US$9,924.50 from the complainant’s company.
According to him, the accused persons and their accomplices loaded the drums of chemicals into a mini-KIA truck and drove away.
C/Insp Ahinbor stated that on each of the days that the accused persons stole the chemicals, they were captured by the CCTV camera fixed in the warehouse. On January 31, 2022, the complainant watched the CCTV footages and saw the accused persons in the video stealing the chemicals.
He added that Mr. Sackitey reported the matter to the police on February 17, 2022, and the accused persons were arrested for investigation.
The prosecuting officer said the accused persons admitted to the offence in their respective investigation cautioned statements to the police, and mentioned, Fuseini Isahaka and Joseph Laryea as their accomplices.
He added that the accused persons also mentioned one Kwasi Boadu as the one they sold the booty to, but failed to lead the police to arrest him.
The prosecutor said the accused persons were charged with the offence and arraigned after police investigations.
