Farmer gets four years for stealing

An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a farmer to four years imprisonment for stealing a vehicle.

Nana Karikari, 43, also a businessman, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit the crime and stealing but he was found culpable during the trial.

His accomplice is on the run.

Police Inspector Benson Benneh told the Court presided over by Madam Evelyn Asamoah that Abdul Malik Adam was the complaint in the case and a businessman, living at Adenta in Accra.

He said Karikari lived at New Weija and on October 4, 2018, the complaint saw an advert at Tonaton.com website, offering for sale of an unregistered black Toyota Corolla LC.

The complainant took interest in the car and he also had a call on his phone and introduced himself as the owner of the car as well as introduced Nana at large as one of his errand boys who would assist him in the transaction.

Prosecution said the convict told the complainant to meet the errand boy at Accra-TUC to inspect the car.

On the following day, Nana bought the car to TUC and after bargaining, they agreed on GHC41,000.

Inspector Benneh said Nana then accompanied the complainant to the Ridge branch of the Stanbic Bank to withdraw some money.

He said the man who claimed to be the owner of the car told the complainant on a phone that he was with his wife at the Intensive Care Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, who had been admitted for treatment, thus, delegated his sister to collect the money for him.

Inspector Benneh said Nana, now at large and the complainant drove the vehicle and parked it and he led the complainant to the woman at the hospital.

There, he introduced her to the complainant as the sister to the car owner.

The complainant then paid GHC41,000.00 to the woman and collected the ignition key, adding that when the complainant and Nana were going back to the car, Nana stopped suddenly and said he wanted to collect some money from his master for the DVLA number plate.

Unknown to the complainant, Nana was finding a way to escape therefore the complainant went to the where the car was supposed to be parked but it was nowhere to be found.

Inspector Benneh said the complainant lodged a complaint with the Police and during investigation, the complainant again checked the website on October 18, 2018, where he saw the same car being offered for sale.

He said the complainant feigned interest and alerted the Police who laid ambush at the Accra Mall after he had a dialogue with one Jonathan who claimed to be the owner of the car.

Accused then brought the car to the mall where he was arrested together with the car.

Prosecution said the key given to the complainant was able to open and start the ignition, indicating that it was the same which was taken from the complainant.

Source: GNA