Fuel thieves granted bail

Three persons, who allegedly siphoned diesel worth GHc 575.00 in a truck belonging to Ghana Rubber Estate Limited (Ghana Real Estate Limited) have been granted bail of GHc 15,000.00 each, with two sureties each, by the Tarkwa District Court One.

The accused persons, Kow Yalley, 68 year-old security officer and John Kwofie, 26, a caterpillar operator, both working with GREL while Cosmos Nkrumah, is a 23 year-old taxi driver.

They pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, stealing and abetment of crime, and would re-appear on October 15.

Prosecuting Police Inspector Faustina Celestina Anaman told the court, presided over by Mr Justice Jonathan Nunoo, that the complainant, John Kwaku Quaidoo, is a security co-ordinator at GREL, who lives at Tetrem near Nsueam.

She said on July 27, around 5:30 pm, the complainant had a tip-off that the first and second accused persons had brought an Opel Corsa with registration number WR 3159-12 which was driven by Cosmos to division four plantations near Tetrem and were siphoning diesel from caterpillar HD.13.

The Prosecutor said when the complainant got to the scene Kow and John were using a black rubber holes to siphon diesel into seven jelly cans from the machine.

The complainant got closer and took a photograph of the scene.

Inspector Anaman said he later arrested the accused persons and handed them over to the Nsueam police together with the jelly cans of diesel.

She said the first and second accused persons admitted the offence in their cautioned statement and explained that they engaged the services of the third accused person to transport the diesel to Tetrem for sale.