Boy, 12, identifies criminal in police exercise

A 12-year-old witness managed to identify a notorious burglar in a Police identification parade held Thursday by the New Juaben Municipal Police Command in the Eastern Region.

The 28-year-old suspect Paul Lartey was also known as Joseph Lartey, an ex-convict was arrested for breaking into the house of the father of the boy at Bonya, a suburb of New Juaben Municipality.

The suspect reportedly banged on the door and pretended he wanted to buy Sachet water, when the boy who was then preparing to join his parents in Church responded, the suspect who was still hanging around in his car told the boy to pray for his parents and remain a good boy.

Shortly after the boy had joined the parents in Church on that fateful Sunday between the hours of 9:50 am to 11:30 am, the suspect and his accomplices broke into the house under the pretence of offering carpentry services.

Upon their return from church, the family noticed that the room and store have been burgled and items including One LG 32 inch Flat Screen TV valued at Ghc2,000, an unspecified number of half piece Wax prints, assorted drinks, Provisions, various recharged cards and cash of Ghc20,000 have been stolen.

Fortunately, a neighbour’s CCTV Camera captured the Toyota Corolla LE Saloon car with registration number GX 2065-17 used by the suspect to carry out the theft.

On Tuesday, at about 2:20 pm, the said vehicle was spotted at Suhum, the Police trailed the car to the house of the suspect but met his girlfriend, Charity Addai, who told the Police that the suspect was not in the house.

The Police forcibly entered the room of the accused person and found him hiding inside the room. He was arrested and a search conducted in his room revealed various items including the stolen items and the ghc20, 000.

During interrogation, he claimed the items including the Ghc20, 000 cash were bought from someone (name withheld) in Accra.

The suspect has been remanded in Police custody by the Koforidua District Magistrate Court “B” presided over by His Worship Eric Daning to reappear in Court on January 5, 2018.

However, his 24-year-old girlfriend Charity Addai arrested for abetment has been discharged by the Court.

The suspect has also been implicated in another theft case in Koforidua as some of the stolen items of the victim have been retrieved from the suspect.

Information gathered indicates that the suspect, a tailor is a notorious criminal but very generous.