Cell phone robber jailed 15 years in hard labour

An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a 24-year-old man to 15 years imprisonment in hard labour for robbing two people of their mobile phones and money.

Bala Zakaria, alias Kabiu, denied conspiring with one Awudu, at large, to rob their victims but was found culpable after trial.

Police Chief Inspector Gulliver Kwabena Tenkorang, told the Court presided over by Mrs Afia Owusua Appiah, that the complainants were Phil Aquila Appiah and Abel Okyere.

He said that Okyere operated his mother's shop at Ofankor, where he and Appiah lived.

He said on September 7, 2019, Appiah went to buy a crate of eggs from where Okyere sells provisions.

Chief Inspector Tenkorang said whilst Appiah waited for change, a motorbike ridden by Zakaria with Awudu as a pillion rider pulled up.

The police said Zakaria requested for a bottle of water and when Okyere was about to serve him, Zakaria pointed a gun as well as a long knife and robbed Okyere of his Techno K.7 cell phone valued at GHC600.00 and GHC20.00 being proceeds from the day's sales.

His colleague also robbed Appiah of his Techno Cammon cell phone valued at GHC750.00.

The prosecution said in the course of their action, they threatened to kill the victims should they raise alarm and afterwards, the robbers marched them into the shop and fled on the Haejue bike with the registration number M-16- GR 5687.

They were arrested by witnesses on stop and search duty, thus, during a search on them assorted mobile phones including those of the victims, the knife, gun, among things were found on them but his accomplice managed to escape, the police said.

Chief Inspector Tenkorang said Bala Zakaria was sent to the Achimota District Police Command to assist in investigations and during investigations, the Commander went through the Cammon cell phone contacts and detected the victims had been robbed.

The complainants were invited to the police station where they identified their phones and the convict.