Man, 22, steals 78.5 million cedis using sika card

A 22-year-old unemployed, Robert Aryeh, has been arraigned before an Accra Circuit Tribunal for using a stolen Sika Card to withdraw a total of 78.5 million cedis from various branches of the Social Security Bank (SSB) Limited.

According to The Ghanaian Times, the tribunal chairman, Mr Ziblim Imoro, asked Aryeh to assist the police in arresting his uncle, Seth Ashley, a staff of the Cape Coast branch of the SSB, who is supposed to have given him the Sika Card.

The tribunal heard that on 20 September 2001, Robert Aryeh withdrew 5 million cedis from the SSB branch of North Industrial Area, Accra with the stolen Sika Card. The following day, he went there seeking to withdraw another 5 million cedis, but the bank officials became suspicious and detained him.

Mr Aryeh was handed over to the police and upon interrogation; he disclosed that his uncle, Ashley, who was with the Sika Card section of the branch, gave him the card to withdraw the moneys.

It was found that Robert had withdrawn a total of 78.5 million cedis from several other branches of the bank, using the Sika Card. The bank, upon verification, found that the owner had deposited 98 million cedis out of which Aryeh had withdrawn 78.5 million cedis. The court has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Ashley who is currently on the run.