Court remands two for snatching taxi

Kwame Jalim, a mechanic, and Twum Ampofo, unemployed, who allegedly attacked and snatched a driver’s taxi cab at Prakrom Junction, have been remanded in prison custody by the Akim Swedru Circuit Court in the Eastern Region.

Jalim and Ampofo pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, robbery, committing crime and causing unlawful damage. They will reappear on April 1.

Jalim, first appeared in court on February 23, and pleaded not guilty to the charges, when he was remanded to reappear on March 16, while Twum, who was arrested from his hide-out, made his first appearance on March 16.

Their accomplice, one Kofi Fanti, is still in his hide-out.

Briefing the court presided over by the trial judge Mr. Emmanuel Brew, Police Inspector Fabiah Sellah said, Mr. Isaac Boako was the taxi driver of the car, estimated at 12,000 Ghana Cedis, property of Madam Grace Appiah.

The prosecutor said on December 12, 2014 at about 22:00 hours the accused persons and one Kofi Fanti, an accomplice hired the taxi cab from Akim Oda in the Birim Central Municipality to Achiase in the Birim South District of the Eastern Region.

Inspector Sellah said when the hired taxi reached Prakrom Junction, Jalim, Ampofo and Koo Fanti violently assaulted Mr. Boako. They ordered him to stop, and pulled him out from the steering wheel, while Jalim sped off.

The prosecutor said Mr. Boako, the victim, then lodged a complaint stating the ordeal which he went through to the police.

That, upon intensive investigation, the police on December 22, last year spotted a dismantled taxi cab at a fitting shop at Brofreyedru near Fosu in the Assin North District of the Central Region, adding, investigations further revealed that it was Jalim who sent the car to the fitting shop and was subsequently arrested, while Ampofo was later flushed out of his hide out.