Four in court for conspiring to steal

A Kumasi Circuit Court has granted bail to three men and a woman for stealing and dishonestly receiving shop items respectively.

The three men were granted bail in the sum of GHC75,000.00 each with three sureties, one to be justified and the lady, a bail sum of GHC5,000.00 with a surety.

Vincent Twumasi Sarpong, a warehouse keeper, Kofi Kyem, a driver, Christian Kwadwo Adomako also a driver, and Phyllis Afrakomah alias Mother, a trader, pleaded not guilty to their offences and are to reappear before the court on November, 4, 2015.

Police Chief Inspector Felix Akowuah briefing the Court, presided over by Mrs Afua Adu Amankwaah, said the complainant, Kwaku Boakye, is a businessman who owns a business enterprise, at Adum, Kumasi, whilst Sarpong and Kyem are his employees.

On December 29, 2014, Boakye had information that Sarpong and Kyem had stolen ten bags of rice and ten bags of flour from the warehouse at Adum and lodged a complaint leading to their arrest.

Chief Inspector Akowuah told the court that during investigations, Sarpong confessed and mentioned Adomako as an accomplice who conveyed the items to be sold and led the police to arrest him.

In Adomako’s caution statement, he confessed and mentioned Kyem as introducing Sarpong to him as a co-worker who has since been contracted by them to convey the items to be sold, where he received his share after sales.

Adomako led police to arrest Afrakomah, who bought the ten bags of rice at GH¢ 1,700.00 instead of GHC2000.00.

In the caution statement of Afrakomah she confessed buying ten bags of rice from Adomako but did not know they were stolen.

Chief Inspector Akowuah said, upon a tip-off from Sarpong’s father, GHC1,600.00 together with the ten bags of flour were retrieved from Sarpong’s room.

Armed with this information and revelation, Boakye audited the records of Sarpong from January 2013 to December 28, 2014, and items valued at GHC 75,431.00 were found to be stolen.