The Bibiani Circuit Court in the Western North region has fined a 31-year-old man for causing fear and panic.
The convict, Kwadwo Kyei Amaning, a gold dealer, was reported missing on May 11, 2024, to the Awaso Police after his family could not find him.
His alleged disappearance left his family extremely worried, considering he is physically challenged.
Days after he was declared missing, Amaning was found hiding in his girlfriend’s room at Bibiani.
He was handed over to the police and was subsequently arraigned.
The court presided over by His Honour Joshua Caleb Abaidoo, charged him with causing fear and panic.
He pleaded guilty and asked for pardon.
The court, however, convicted him on his own plea and fined him 50 penalty units, which is GH¢600.
A default would have landed him three months in prison.
Meanwhile, he has paid the fine and signed a bond for good behaviour for two years, with the condition that if he breaches it, he will serve six months in prison.
The suspects were four juveniles, all PRESEC students and two adults.
The two adults are Isaac Kissi Adjei, alias Kofi Black, and Courage Teiko, alias Timmy.
A statement from the police said preliminary investigations revealed that one of the juveniles, in an attempt to extort money from his parents to enable him to travel abroad, conspired with the others to stage the kidnapping incident.
In the process, they demanded an amount of GH₵ 340,000.00 as ransom from the alleged victim’s parents.
The investigation further disclosed that the juveniles, together with the two others, succeeded in collecting GH₵20,000.00 of the total ransom demanded.