Former police officer and three others in court for alleged robbery

Accra, Sept. 20, GNA – A former police officer and three others on Tuesday appeared before an Accra Circuit Court charged with conspiracy to rob and robbery.

Emmanuel Sam Mensah, the former police officer, his accomplices Percy Aboagye aka Nana Kwame, Frederick Amoakwah alias Apo, both drivers and Justice Eduah aka Panin, a student, were alleged to have snatched a taxi at gun point at Blue Lagoon, near Sakaman, Accra.

They pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Another accomplice, Yaw Nicho, is on the run.

The court presided over by Mr Eric Kyei-Baffour remanded them into Police custody to re-appear on October 12.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Kofi Blagodzi prosecuting said the complainant, Mr Isaac Otoo, was a taxi driver who resided at Abeka while the accused persons were residents of Breman Asikuma, in the Central Region.

DSP Blagodzi said on January 1, this year at dawn, the complainant was driving his taxi cab with registration number GS 8241-10 from Abeka to Odorkor.

On reaching Addy junction, the prosecutor said, a young man who had engaged the services of Otoo asked him (Otoo) to send the passenger to Dansoman and the complainant obliged.

He said on reaching Odorkor Tipper junction, the passenger asked the driver to stop and pick two men whom he (the passenger) claimed were his brothers and going to the same place.

DSP Blagodzi said on the way, one of the men pulled a knife while another pulled out a locally manufactured pistol and they ordered the driver to park the vehicle and get out otherwise they would kill him.

He said the complainant yielded to their demands and they sped off with the vehicle.

The prosecutor said the matter was reported to the Police, and investigations led to the arrest of Aboagye and later his accomplices.

He said the vehicle was retrieved from Wa in the Upper West Region where Mensah, who is a also a businessman and leader of the gang went to sell the vehicle after changing the number plate to read GE 2089-10 instead of GS 8241-10.