Today in History: The selfie that exposed a thief after he stole GH¢7,000
A driver’s mate who stole GH¢7,000 and a Samsung Galaxy smartphone at Tema Station found himself at the centre of an unusual criminal case after using the stolen phone to upload his own photograph to the victim’s WhatsApp Status.
In a twist that turned a stolen phone into a potential giveaway, 27-year-old Edem Avenyo reportedly took a photograph of himself with a smartphone he had stolen and posted it on the owner’s WhatsApp Status on October 26, 2025.
The seemingly careless move became one of the most striking details in a theft case that eventually landed him in prison for three months.
Avenyo, a driver’s mate, was later arrested, admitted the offence and was convicted by the Gbese District Court in Accra after pleading guilty to stealing GH¢7,000 in cash and a Samsung Galaxy smartphone valued at GH¢2,900.
But the story began two days before the now-notorious selfie.
According to the prosecution, the complainant, a public transport driver who lived at Aplaku in Accra, parked his vehicle at the Tema Station car park, behind the National Lotteries Authority, on October 24, 2025. He slept in the vehicle with another driver’s mate, identified as Godwin Owusu.
At about 4:00 a.m. on October 25, the driver woke up to discover that his Samsung Galaxy smartphone and GH¢7,000 in cash, which he had kept under the vehicle’s seat, were missing.
The value of the missing items was substantial. The cash alone amounted to GH¢7,000, while the phone was valued at GH¢2,900, bringing the reported value of the stolen property to GH¢9,900.
The case took an unexpected turn later that morning when Owusu called the driver’s phone number. Avenyo answered the call, and Owusu reportedly asked him to return the phone. He declined.
Then came October 26.
Rather than keeping the device out of sight, Avenyo reportedly used it to take a photograph of himself and uploaded the image to the complainant’s WhatsApp Status.
The photograph was an unusual development in a case involving a missing phone. Instead of simply disappearing with the device, the suspect had reportedly used it to place his own image on an account belonging to the person who had lost it.
However, the selfie did not result in an immediate arrest. According to the prosecution’s account, Avenyo was arrested on December 19, 2025, at his hideout near the COCOBOD area in Accra.
Investigations subsequently revealed that he had sold the phone at Nsawam for GH¢800 and spent the GH¢7,000 in cash.
The amount reportedly obtained from the sale was GH¢2,100 below the phone’s stated value of GH¢2,900. The cash and phone had a combined stated value of GH¢9,900, although the reported resale proceeds and the original value of the stolen property are different measures.
When Avenyo appeared before the Gbese District Court, he pleaded guilty to stealing and was convicted on his own plea.
During his plea for leniency, he reportedly asked the court to “tamper justice with mercy and forgive him.” He also promised to work, repay the money involved and replace the stolen phone.
The court nevertheless sentenced him to three months’ imprisonment.
The case offers an unusual lesson in how an attempt to use a stolen device can create a trail that connects the device to the person using it. In this instance, the photograph posted to the victim’s WhatsApp Status became a memorable detail in the prosecution’s account of the offence.
For anyone following the story a year after the October 26 incident, the irony remains striking: the phone was allegedly stolen to be taken away from its owner, yet its use to post a selfie helped make the case memorable.
The timeline is also important
The photograph was uploaded on October 26, 2025; Avenyo was arrested on December 19, 2025; and the Ghana News Agency reported his three-month sentence on December 29, 2025. October 26 therefore marks the date of the unusual WhatsApp Status incident, not the date of his arrest or sentencing.
Source: www.ghanaweb.com« Previous |
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