The Accra Circuit Court Nine has remanded seven persons into Police custody for allegedly terrorising Accra Metropolitan dwellers by breaking into their cars to steal their items.
Daniel Kofi Asamoah, unemployed, Isaac Larbi, driver, Abdul Latif, trader, Eric Obuobie, car screen wiper and Mohammed Ali, denied preparing to commit crime to wit, stealing at the Kawukudi Traffic Light in Accra,
Suley Salisu, car screen wiper and Bright Nartey were also arrested at the Airport Road for allegedly preparing to commit crime to wit, stealing which they have denied.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Maxwell Oppong told the Court presided over by Mr Samuel Bright Acquah that the accused persons were between the ages of 19 and 29.
He said intelligence was gathered by the Accra Regional Police Command to effect that, the accused persons and their accomplices now on the run, had formulated modus of rendering car screen whipping services to drivers in the traffic of Accra Metropolis and took advantage to break into cars to steal their valuables.
ASP Oppong said on November 25 and 26, 2022 between the hours of 1800 hours and 1830 hours, a team of Police officers from Accra Regional Headquarters was detailed to Opeibea, Airport road and Kawukudi traffic light where the accused persons; Asamoah, Larbi, Latif, Obuobie, Mohammed, Salisu and Nartey were arrested, but their accomplices managed to escape.
Prosecution said the accused persons were brought to the Regional CID/Accra for investigation.
After investigation, they were charged with the offences and put before court.
Mr Yaw Dankwa, Defense counsel for the accused persons, in praying for bail, said prosecution failed to establish how the accused persons were preparing to commit the crime.
He said the charges against the accused persons were trumped-up, baseless, adding that he was offering pro bono (free services) to them for the state to prove its case.
The accused persons, he said, had denied the charges preferred against them and since police had not said they were conducting further investigation, they could be granted bail.
They had not had a brush with the law neither did the Police find any object on them used in breaking into people’s vehicles to steal.
Mr Dankwa said the Police did not like their looks because they had been abandoned by society and they had become a nuisance so the Police wanted to get them off the streets.
ASP Oppong objected to the bail application and said the accused persons had no fixed places of abode, they were squatters, operating on the streets which was a threat to National Security.
He said if they were granted bail, they would go back to the streets to terrorise commuters.
The Court remanded all of them into police custody to be brought back on December 12, 2022.
