Serial bank robbers jailed

The three suspected robbers, including a woman, who were apprehended by the Community One District police in Tema for specializing in robbing unsuspecting bank customers, have been incarcerated to serve six months in prison with hard labour.

Tema magistrate court presided over by Akosua Amankwah Agyepong, slapped the jail term on each of them.

The accused persons, Prince Oware, 32; Aziz Mohammed, 30 and Afia Serwaa, 36 – all residents of Pokuase near Accra – pleaded guilty when they were arraigned before the court for trial.

Furthermore, a fine of GH¢1,200 was slapped on Prince and Serwaa whilst Mohammed was asked to pay an amount of GH¢1,800.

The court also advised the convicts to be of good behaviour after serving their imprisonment terms.

On Friday, February 24, 2017 the three persons were onboard a Hyundai i10 salon car with registration number GX 9524-13. Serwaa was said to have posed as a customer of the bank while Aziz Mohammed and Prince Oware reportedly posed as a passenger and taxi driver respectively and purportedly attempted robbing one Paulina Mensah when she joined the vehicle after transacting business at the Omini Bank in Tema.

The lady, who had withdrawn an unspecified amount of money from the bank, stood by the roadside looking for a vehicle when the taxi reportedly surfaced and she flagged down the vehicle which had Aziz at the steering wheel with Oware occupying the front passenger seat. Paulina sat beside Serwaa in the back seat.

Paulina was said to have become suspicious and told the driver that she would alight at the Community Police Station but he branched unto an unusual route with the explanation that he wanted to dodge some police officers on road checks ahead.

The driver finally stopped the taxi behind the police station for Paulina to alight, but she (Paulina) realised that she could not get out of the vehicle as the door was locked.

While she laboured to open it, Serwaa took advantage of the situation and pulled the envelope containing the money Paulina had withdrawn at the bank from her bag.

In Serwaa’s attempt to replace the envelope with another in her possession – which only contained pieces of paper back into the bag – the money fell onto the floor of the taxi, attracting the attention of Paulina.

She quickly raised an alarm for help and the accused persons were busted and after investigations, were arraigned before the Tema magistrate court where they were eventually slapped with the sentences.