Scrap dealer jailed 15 months for theft

An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a 28-year-old scrap dealer to 15 months imprisonment for theft.

Bawa Ankoh pleaded guilty to two counts of theft and was granted GH¢ 70,000.00 bail with two sureties.

An accomplice, Godwin Nyame, has also been charged with dishonest receiving. He pleaded not guilty but was remanded into police custody.

Ankoh, the Court was told, unlawfully entered the office of Synlab Ghana, a laboratory and radiology service provider, to steal and dishonestly appropriate five Dell laptop computers valued at GH¢36,000.00.

Nyame is said to have dishonestly received the five Dell laptops.

Ankoh prayed to the court to temper justice with mercy, promising not to repeat the act.

The court presided over by Evelyn Asamoah, adjourned the case to May 10, 2023.

Prosecuting Chief Inspector Clement Takyi told the court that the complainant Patience Korankye was an Administrative Manager of Synlab Ghana who resided at South Legon.

Ankoh is a scraps dealer who resides at Vergas in Achimota, while Nyame is a Trader residing in Abofu.

He said on or before March 13, 2023, at midnight, Bawa unlawfully entered the offices of Synlab Ghana at Shiashe near Accra and stole five Dell laptop computers worth GH¢36,000.00.

He told the court that Bawa was captured on the CCTV camera installed at the office during his operation. The complainant then made a report at the Airport Police Station.

This led to the arrest on Tuesday, March 4, 2023, of one Michael Awitor who was known for breaking into offices at the Airport and surrounding areas.

Awitor was shown the CCTV footage of the incident at Synlab Ghana, and he identified Ankoh as the one in the video.

Chief Inspector Takyi said Police intelligence revealed that Ankoh had also gained notoriety for breaking into people’s residences and selling the booty to Nyame.

The two were subsequently arrested. The police retrieved a MacBook laptop after a search of Nyame’s room.

Nyame could not prove ownership of the laptop. Efforts are being made to retrieve the Dell laptop computers.