Cabbie acid robber caged

The 40-year-old self-styled taxi driver, who purportedly poured a liquid substance suspected to be acid on a cabbie in an attempt to snatch his car, has been arraigned before an Accra Circuit Court for attempted robbery.

The accused, Daniel Quaye, is reported to have used an enamel syringe, also known as ‘Bentua,’ to spray the substance on one Emmanuel Yaw Fosu.

The prosecutor, Chief Inspector K. Adu told the court that the accused committed the act on August 21 this year at the Korle-Bu Nurses Training School in Accra.

Appearing in a court, presided over by Aboagye Tandoh, the accused, who was without a lawyer and spoke Twi, denied the charges of attempted robbery.

He was remanded into police custody until September 14.

C/Insp. K. Adu stated that on the said day at about 12pm, Theophilius Osei, who was in-charge of Toyota Corolla with registration ER 2369-11, gave the car to his brother Yaw, the spare driver.

At about 4:30pm same day, while Yaw was driving around Community 10 Junction, Daniel hired his service to transport him to Korle-Bu for a fee of GH¢50.

C/Insp. Adu said upon reaching Tema Station also in Accra, Daniel asked Yaw to stop for him to attend to nature’s call, but the accused spent one and half hours before he returned for them to continue the journey.

At Korle-Bu, Daniel asked the driver to drive him to the Korle-Bu Nurses Training School for him to meet his boss at Kwame Nkrumah Flat, who would pay the fare.

The prosecutor disclosed that Yaw realized that the road had been blocked but the accused directed him to take the left road, adding that yaw slowed down.

The police officer stated that Daniel quickly opened a polythene bag and sprayed the acid on Yaw using an enamel syringe.

According to the prosecution, “Yaw stopped and got out of the car, running and shouting “Jesus, thief, thief, thief” and at this stage, the accused also got out of the car and picked a piece of wood in the polythene bag to chase the complainant and also shouted thief, thief, thief.”

C/Insp. Adu said residents at the scene assisted in arresting the two.

At the police station, they both accused each other of attempting to snatch the taxi but Yaw showed his driver’s licence in the vehicle to the police.

Daniel was however handed over to the regional CID for further investigations, saying during questioning, his intention to snatch the taxi from Yaw was established.

He also told the police that he was in possession of a polythene bag, rope, knife, piece of wood, an enamel pump, two bottles containing acid to perpetuate his heinous crime.