Taxi driver arraigned for robbery

Alfred Zogli, a driver, has been arraigned before court for robbing one Daniel Sackey of a Nissan Almera Taxi at Dansoman which belongs to one Richard Otto.

Alfred pleaded not guilty to the charge but was remanded by the court, presided over by Mr Aboagye Tandor, to reappear on August 25.

The Counsel for the accused person, Mr Andy Vortia, prayed the court to grant his client bail on the basis that he had people who were ready to stand sureties for him.

Mr Vortia said his client was a first time offender who would not hinder the course of the investigations.

The Counsel further assured the court that his client, if granted bail, would appear at all times before the court.

The court, however, adjourned the case to decide on the bail application.

The prosecution, Police Chief Inspector Kwabena Adu, told the court that the complaint, Daniel Sackey, and the accused, Alfred Zogli, are both Taxi drivers and lived in Awutu Bereku in the Central Region and Adabraka in the Greater Accra Region respectively.

He said on July 6, at about 13:00 hours, the complainant who was driving a Nissan Almera Taxi with registration number GW 9335-16, was hired by one of the suspects from Awutu Bereku to the Dansoman Beach, Accra.

He said on reaching their destination, the suspect, now at large, told the compliant to

wait for his Whiteman friend who was going to join them.

The prosecution explained that while waiting, Alfred drove another taxi with two persons

on board to where the complainant had parked his cab.

Prosecution said the complainant, together with the one who hired him, were arrested by the accused person and his team with the allegation that the one who hired the complainant had stolen the said Whiteman’s money.

They were put in the taxi Alfred and his two accomplices brought.

One of the suspects brought out a Police Identity Card and introduced himself as a Police Officer whilst the other also introduced himself as a Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) operative.

He told the court that Alfred then handcuffed the complainant together with the one who hired the taxi from Awutu Bereku.

Police Chief Inspector Adu said the accused person drove the vehicle to about 200 metres and the alleged police officer then searched the complainant, removed his mobile phone and the ignition key of the taxi and alighted.

He said Alfred drove on to a distance and had a call, immediately he hanged up, he stopped the car, removed the handcuff from the complainant’s hands and pushed him out from the car with the excuse that he Daniel is not one of those who stole from the Whiteman and they sped off.

The complainant was able to pick the inscription at the back of the blue Nissan Almera Taxi cab as: “No size’’ used by the accused person and the other suspect at large.

He said the complainant went back to where his taxi was parked and realised that the car was nowhere to be found, so he made a formal report to the Dansoman Police.

Police Chief Inspector Adu said on August 8, the taxi was traced to Adabraka and the complainant identified the accused person who was then driving the same taxi cab with the inscription ‘No size’’ at the back as the one who robbed him of the black and yellow Nissan Almera Taxi cab with registration No. GW9335-16 valued GH¢25,000.00.

The accused person was arrested and his vehicle impounded.