An Accra Circuit Court on Monday remanded three persons accused of conspiring and robbing their victims, including an Appeals Court judge, of their belongings at gunpoint.
Dickson Addai, Prince Owusu and Gbekor Marvin are said to have robbed Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkorno, Francis Kofi Torkorno, Anthony Kodua Bediako and Patience Hammond of their valuables.
Dickson is also charged for possessing firearms.
They all pleaded not guilty to the charges and were remanded by the court, presided over by Mrs Abena Adjin Doku Oppong, to reappear on January 30.
Prosecution
Prosecuting, Superintendent of Police Kweku Bempah told the court that the complainants in the case were the Appeals Court judge, Mrs Justice Gertrude Torkorno, and husband, Francis Torkorno, an officer at the Narcotics Control Board, Anthony Koduah Bediako, a banker, and Patience Hammond, a trader.
About 8.30 p.m. on December 12, 2016, Supt Bempah, said Justice Torkorno drove home from a night church service.
On opening the main gate to her residence, a gang of masked men holding weapons attacked her and subjected her and her entire family to severe trauma and threats of harm.
The attackers eventually robbed her of her Toyota Fortuner, an Apple MacBook laptop, valued at $1,300; an iPhone, valued at GH¢600, cash of GH¢900 and $50 and three Bibles.
The prosecution said the gang, in an attempt to drive the vehicle out of the house, bumped into Francis Torkorno, who was returning from work in his vehicle.
The suspects assaulted him too and robbed him of $350, 11 Zambian Kwacha, two Stanbic and Ecobank ATM cards, some ID cards and his vehicle.
Supt Bempah said the robbers, not satisfied with their booty, further went to Anyaa about 9.30 p.m. and robbed Anthony of his Hyundai Santa Fe 4×4 vehicle, GH¢350 and a Huawei mobile phone.
They later forcibly marched the complainant to the apartment of his co-tenant, Patience. The suspects broke into her room with cement blocks, subjected her to beatings and robbed her of five mobile phones, a flat-screen TV set and jewellery valued at GH¢5,000.
Arrest
He said on December 20, 2016, one Elizabeth Okai, a customer of Patience’s, called her business mobile line which was one of the phones stolen from Patience on December 8, with the intent of paying her debt of GH¢4,800.
The prosecutor said Prince responded to the call and gave his Fidelity Bank account number at the Lapaz Branch of the bank for her to deposit the money.
Elizabeth informed Patience about the development and she too immediately alerted the police, leading to Prince’s arrest.
Supt Bempah said the police managed to retrieve Patience’s stolen Airtel mobile SIM card and Fidelity savings cheque book bearing Prince’s name from Prince’s room at Chantan, a suburb in Accra.
Further investigations led to the arrest of Dickson at Nanakrom, near East Legon, where the police retrieved one pump action gun and 12 live ammunition, four assorted Samsung mobile phones, one iPhone and an HP mini laptop, all suspected to have been stolen.
Also arrested was Gbekor, who is part of the gang.
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