Four persons were on Friday arraigned before a circuit tribunal in Accra for possessing locally manufactured pistols, cartridges and a stolen vehicle. The four, Charles Boateng, a trader, Meiza Kojo, a businessman, Francis Akwasi Danso, a trader and Yaw Danso, a second-hand cloth dealer all from Kumasi have pleaded not guilty to unlawful possession of firearms and possessing a stolen vehicle.
The tribunal, chaired by Mr Imoru Ziblim remanded them into prison custody to reappear on April 19.
Prosecuting, Police Inspector Bennett Sarfo said the complainant is an Ivorian while the accused persons live in Kumasi. On December 26 2001, at about 9:00 p.m., the police on its snap check duties at Berekum intercepted a Nissan Pick-up with registration number GR 2939 Q with six persons on board.
Prosecution said on reaching a barrier at Berekum, the driver and another passenger seated in front hurriedly jumped out from the vehicle and took to their heels.
The accused persons who were left behind were immediately arrested. When the police searched the vehicle, three locally manufactured pistols loaded with cartridges were found. Investigations showed that the vehicle was stolen from the complainant at gunpoint at Tanda in Cote d'Ivoire. Ghana has in recent times become a breeding ground for armed robbers who roam the length and breadth of the country terrorising innocent citizens.
The government recently supplied the police with fast patrol cars to help them combat crime.
