Suspected phone thieves bailed

Four persons who are being tried for allegedly stealing 60 mobile phones worth GHc 5,450 have been granted bail by an Accra Circuit Court.

They are Emmanuel Ofori, aka One Day; Abdul Amid Mumuni, aka Asma; Edem Awugah, aka Countryman and Ahmed Rafai Hasmin, aka Spices.

This followed a spirited application for bail filed by Jerry Avenogbor, counsel for the accused persons, in a court presided over by Aboagye Tandoh.

He argued that the accused persons had been in custody for five months, a situation he insisted was taking a toll on their lives.

According to Mr Avenogbor, the charges preferred against his clients were bailable, noting that the charges changed from robbery to stealing after further investigations into the case.

Stressing that the case was purely a case of misunderstanding, he said his clients had paid GHc5,000 of the money they are alleged to have stolen.

Mr Tandoh subsequently admitted the accused persons to bail in the sum of GHc10,000 each with two sureties.

Sitting continues on September 16, 2015.

According to the prosecutor, DSP Ernest Acheampong, the accused persons on May 20 at about 9:30pm purportedly conspired and stole the said mobile phones belonging to one Yaw Nti.

He added that the four, who are all unemployed, on June 12 at about 9:30pm at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra, again dishonestly appropriated 151 mobile phones valued at GHc15, 550, being the property of Kwaku Prempeh.

The facts of the case are that the complainants are traders of mobile phones at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle while the four accused persons are unemployed young men resident at Accra Newtown.

DSP Acheampong said on May 20 at about 9:30pm Ofori and his friend went to the Kwame Nkrumah Circle holding one Galaxy pocket mobile phone for sale.

He said while they were waiting to sell the phone, Ofori’s friend stole a Blackberry phone belonging to Yaw Nti and passed it on to Ofori.

The police officer said when a search was conducted the phone was found in the pocket of Ofori but he managed to escape.

DSP Acheampong stated that a few hours later, the two mobilised some young men numbering about 15, including Edem and others now at large, from Accra Newtown to the Kwame Nkrumah Circle to fight.

He said they subsequently made away with the aforementioned and took them to Accra Newtown where they shared them.