Two out of three friends, Ransford Osei Coffie, a driver, 29 and Johnson Adu, a gold buyer, 24, charged for alleged robbery and rape by the Enchi District Magistrate Court have been remanded into prison custody for two weeks.
However, their counterpart, Alex Obeng, a 24-year-old illegal miner, had a GH¢50,000 bail with one surety because the suspects in the case, Coffie and Adu stated that he only provided information and security, but did not participate in the crime they committed.
Obeng is currently in Police custody because he was not able to meet the bail condition.
Their pleas have not been taken and they will re-appear before the court on Monday, July 8, 2024.
Detective Police Chief Inspector Joseph Kwadwo Agyare, who led the prosecuting, earlier told the court presided over by Mr Lawrence Buanor-Buer that the accused persons were planning to escape from lawful custody while in police custody.
He, therefore, prayed to the court to send the accused persons to the Kumasi Central prison, while investigations continued, and his request was granted.
The complainant, Stephen Amihere, and his fiancée, Christiana Mensah, resided in the same apartment at Desueano, while the accused persons lived at Desueano and Abokyia all in the Aowin Municipality.
The prosecution said on Tuesday, January 2, 2024, at about 1:30 am, the accused persons armed with a locally manufactured pistol and a knife went to the complainant’s apartment to rob them.
He said when the accused persons got to the premises, Obeng waited outside to provide the needed security so they would not be apprehended.
Detective Chief Inspector Agyare said Coffie and Adu subjected Amihere to severe beatings and ordered him to surrender all his money, but he fell unconscious, and they tied his two hands with sellotape and sealed his mouth.
The two then rushed to the complainant’s fiancée, tied her hands and sealed her mouth with sellotape as well.
Coffie and Adu forcibly had sex with her in turns, after which they bolted with iPhone 6x, iPhone 11, Jordan sneakers, shirts, belts, handbags, wristwatches, gold detector machines and a cash sum of GH¢300.
The prosecution said after the accused persons had left, the complainant’s fiancée managed to untie herself and she raised the alarm which attracted residents within the area including the neighbourhood watchdog committee chairman who is a witness in the case.
At the scene, the witness found an ideal mobile phone, and he went through the call logs and found Obeng’s contact which subsequently led to his arrest.
According to the prosecutor, when they questioned Obeng about the owner of the mobile phone, he indicated that it belonged to Coffie, and he led the police to a Guest House located at Abokyia where they were lodging but met his absence.
A search was conducted in the room and the police found a black bag containing Obeng’s Ghana card and his Access Bank ATM card.
They also found a voter’s identification card, Ghana card, passport and National Health Insurance card all bearing the name of Coffie and a mask.
The two were later arrested by some volunteers, and they handed them over to the police to assist investigation.
Detective Chief Inspector Agyare informed the court that a duplicate docket had been prepared and forwarded to the Attorney General’s office for study and advice.
Source: GNA
