Suspected armed robbers remanded for murdering taxi driver

Cape Coast, July 10, GNA- A circuit court at Cape Coast on Tuesday remanded two suspected armed robbers, Yaw Duodo, 23, a farmer, and Kingsford Amoah, alias Kwamena Abeka, 24, suspected to have murdered Kwame Takyi, a taxi cab driver. The pleas of the suspects who were charged with conspiracy to commit crime, robbery and murder were not taken and they would reappear on Tuesday July 31.

Chief inspector Hope Azasoo told the court presided over by Mr. Richard Asiedu-Badu, that the suspects conspired to robe Takyi of his Taxi cab, which they hired at about 14 hours at Mankessim after they had bought two kitchen knives. Prosecution said the suspects allegedly killed the driver, who was driving from Mankessim to Kromaim near Ajumako in the Central Region on Friday June 29.

Chief Inspector Azasoo said the suspects asked Takyi to send them to Kromaim to take local alcohol, Akpeteshie and on the way, a witness in the case joined they car.

Prosecution said on their way, the deceased stopped to make a telephone call at "a space to space mobile spot" to another witness in the case to inform him of where he was going, whiles the suspects bought water after which they continued the journey. Chief Inspector Azasoo said at about 1720 hours on that day, they drove towards Mando about a kilometre away from Kromaim and the accused persons asked the deceased to park the vehicle and follow them to the village for the local alcohol.

He said about 400 metres away from the road, the suspects attacked Takyi, collected the car key from him, stabbed him in the abdomen, chest, ribs, left eye till he died and abandoned him in the bush. Prosecution said the suspects drove the car to Konkompe in Accra and offered it for sale at 6 million cedis to some vehicle mechanics. Chief Inspector Azasoo said the mechanics suspected that the vehicle might have been stolen considering the low price at which it was being offered for sold and the discovery of a knife concealed under the car seat and reported the matter to the police.

He said the following day at about 0830 hours, a man on his way to farm saw the body of the deceased in a pool of blood. Prosecution said he reported the matter to the Abaasa police who visited the scene and found the corpse of Takyi and an identity card belonging to Amoah. He said the body of the deceased was conveyed to the central regional hospital morgue for autopsy. 10 July 07