Twists and turns in Police robbery case

Accra, April 1, GNA - Two Police Constables who allegedly assisted a taxi driver to apprehend a suspect for selling a bar of soap as mobile phone were on Wednesday put before a Circuit Court charged with conspiracy and robbery.

Constable Frank Acheampong and Constable Daniel Antwi have pleaded not guilty and the court, presided over by Mr Iddrisu Mahamadu has remanded them into prison custody to reappear on April 15. However, Captain Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey (Rtd), the defence counsel, in his submission for bail told the court that his clients were rather innocent.

He said the two police Constables rather opted to assist a taxi driver who had been attacked by two suspects, one of who is the complainant. According to Captain Effah-Dartey on that day, his clients who were on duty at two senior persons' houses wanted to go and buy food before going to their posts. He said his clients went to Pig Farm in Accra but settled for food at Odor Rice at about 1800 hours.

After taking their food, a taxi driver approached them and asked for assistance to arrest two suspects who had sold a bar of soap to him as a mobile phone. According to him, the two policemen asked the taxi driver to engage the two suspects in a conversation so that they could arrest them. As soon as the two policemen got close to the taxi driver, the two suspects took to their heels but one of them, Frank Annan, now the complainant fell and they arrested him. When they put Frank Annan into the car, the taxi driver told them that it was rather Annan's accomplice who sold the bar of key soap as mobile phone to him. Defence counsel said the two policemen therefore freed Annan, adding that, he was shocked that a case of robbery had been brought against his clients.

Defence counsel wondered how two policemen would rob someone of his mobile phone and cash of GH¢ 87. He said his clients had been on Police enquiry bail for a month.

However, the prosecution's facts state that the complainant Frank Annan is a student residing at Nii Boye Town in Accra. According to the prosecution, at about 2230 hours on February 1, Annan visited his friend at Kwame Nkrumah Circle. Whiles walking in front of Ghana Telecom Headquarters in the company of his friend, Constable Acheampong and Constable Antwi armed with AK 47 rifles attacked them.

The prosecution said the two policemen then took Annan hostage but his friend escaped. The police Constables then forced Annan into a waiting Tico taxi driven by an unidentified driver and they sped off. The two hit Annan on the head with the butts of their rifles and he sustained injuries.

The prosecution said the two constables succeeded in robbing Annan of his mobile phone valued at GH¢ 90 and cash in the sum of GH¢ 87. The accused then abandoned him at Nima Roundabout and drove away. The prosecution said Annan managed to walk to the Nima Police Station and lodged a complaint.

On February 3 following a tip-off the accused persons were arrested at Achimota and in their respective caution statements they denied the office. They, however, admitted meeting Annan on February 1, at Kwame Nkrumah Circle.