Two in court for robbing UCC Lecturer

Accra, April 25, GNA - Two persons who pulled out a knife on a Lecturer of the University of Cape Coast and snatched her handbag containing personal belongings at Tesano appeared at a Circuit Court in Accra on Monday.

The two accused persons are alleged to have made away with the handbag that contained a Ghanaian passport, a digital organizer, a visa card, a driver's licence, 160,000 cedis and a cheque with face value of six million cedis.

Prosper Kofi alias Okocha and Abdul Karim alias Mallam, all unemployed, pleaded guilty to conspiracy, stealing and causing unlawful harm. But the Court after listening to the facts of the case asked the Police to prefer charges of robbery against two persons because of the knife they used and the force they applied.

The case was adjourned to May 16.

Presenting the facts, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr Zakaria Dudimah said the complainant whose name was being withheld lived at Tesano while the accused persons lived at Mamobi in Accra.

On April 20, this year, at about 20 hours, the complainant was walking from her residence towards a nearby shell shop, near Abeka Junction to purchase some household items.

On her way, Kofi crossed the complainant, pulled out a knife and ordered her to surrender her bag.

Prosecution said the complainant out of fear, removed the handbag from her neck and in her bid to hand it over Kofi inflicted a cut on her right finger.

The Prosecutor said Karim suddenly appeared at the scene with a motorbike and Kofi jumped on it and they fled with the handbag. They removed the items and threw the handbag away at a spot near the Accra Girls' Secondary School.

On April 22, the Police Panthers Unit had a tip-off that two young men were offering a Ghanaian passport with British, American and German visa for sale.

Prosecution said investigation led to the arrest of the accused persons at Mamobi.

The Complainant's organizer was retrieved from a Witness, with whom Karim had deposited it for 200,000 cedis.

During Police interrogation, accused persons admitted the offence but denied pulling out a knife on the complainant.

The accused persons claimed that they used blade in their operation and mentioned that the unregistered motorbike they also used belonged to one Kwame, their Boss, who was residing at Mamobi.