Police hunt for phone snatcher

The Nungua police are on the heels of a man, who is alleged to have been snatching cell phones of his unsuspecting victims by tricking them.

The modus operandi of the suspect (name withheld) is that he usually rents a car, and while driving engages his victims in conversation for direction to locations during which he snatches their phones.

KpeshieDistrict Police Commander, Superintendent Abraham Apusuyine, who confirmed the story to the Ghanaian Times, at the weekend, said three alleged victims of the phone snatcher, have lodged complaints with the police.

In the first reported incident that took place around 11.pm on December 23, last year, the suspect, driving along the Ghana Commercial Bank Training School road in Nungua,suburb of Accra, pulled up and beckoned to supposed victims for direction.

The victim, who pleaded anonymity, told the Ghanaian Times that just as he was trying to assist the suspect get to an SDA Church building,he was distracted by a taxi driver, behind him, and before he could turn, the suspect had snatched his Apple iPhone X Spacegrey, and sped off.

“I had closed from work and got to the Bank Road around 11.pm. Suddenly, I saw this driver of an ash-coloured Honda car with registration number GC 1788-19 stop, and asked that I direct him to a place around the SDA church where he could rent an apartment.

“During our conversation, a taxi driver behind asked him to park properly and as I turned to look, he snatched my phone and sped off,” the victim said.

Earlier in December,last year, the suspect, who is said to be in his 30s, had allegedly snatched the phone of another victim at Nungua, employing the same modus. But he was chased and had to abandon the car before bolting away.

The victim reported the phone-snatching incident to the police who impounded the car. It was the same Honda car (GC 1788-19) that was used in the second operation.

Again on January 15, this year, the suspect was alleged to have rented a Toyota Corolla car with registration number GW 6675-17 to undertake a similar phone-stealing act in Nungua after which the car was abandoned at a washing bay. The victim subsequently lodged a complaint with the police.

Sup Apusuyine has assured the public that the suspect would be tracked down and arrested.

“We are trailing him and I can assure you that we will arrest him.”

According to him, owners of the cars are cooperating well with the police.