Court deals with striplings for stealing mobile phones

The Enchi District Magistrate court on Friday convicted two teenagers for stealing eighteen assorted mobile phones worth GH?10,000 and an amount of GHC2,300.00.

The two, Theophilus Abiaw, a mason and Desmond Adjei, unemployed, both 17 year-olds pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit crime, unlawful damage, unlawful entry and stealing.

Abiaw would serve three years in a reformatory center at Mamobi in the Greater Accra Region, while his companion Adjei, who showed remorse and spoke the truth during the trial was ordered to sign a bond to be of good behaviour for two years.

A 20-year-old trader, Samuel Baba Sani, who was also charged for dishonestly receiving, pleaded not guilty to the offence.

He was granted bail in the sum of GH?3,000.00 with two sureties to re-appear on July 1, 2019.

Presenting the facts of the case, Detective Sergeant Joseph Kwadwo Agyare told the court that, the complainant, Zibo Awi, is a mobile phone dealer and resides at old Zongo in the Aowin Municipality.

He said Abiaw, Adjei and one Kofi Twum, 20, now at large and Baba Sani are friends and residents of Bejahaso and Nakaba, both suburbs of Enchi.

According to the prosecution, the complainant normally packed his mobile phones to the house after close of business each day.

He said on April 30, 2019, at about 1700 hours, the convicts and Twum met and scouted around the complainant's shop with the intention to steal mobile phones.

He said after the day's work, the complainant packed his mobile phones as usual and proceeded to the house.

Detective Sgt Agyare said Abiaw, Adjei and Twum followed the complainant closely to his house and when he left the house at around 1900 hours to New Zongo, a suburb in the area, they took advantage of his absence and broke into his house through the window and made away with the aforementioned items.

When the complainant returned at around 2000 hours, he discovered that thieves had broken into his house through the windows and made away with the said items.

The complainant reported the incident to the Police at Enchi and later started conducting his own investigation.

Detective Sgt Agyare said the complainant then gather that the three were behind the theft and with the assistance of an informant Abiaw and Adjei were smoked out from their hideout.

The Prosecution said when the two were arrested, two mobile phones were retrieved from them and the convicts confessed that they sold one of the mobile phones to Baba Sani at the cost of GH?50.

He said Abiaw and Adjei led the police to arrest Baba Sani where one Techno W1 phone worth GH?450 was recovered from him.

He said the police were making frantic efforts to arrest the fugitive.