A cop stationed at the Nima Police Station, Inspector Abednego Bortier, and two others have been remanded in police custody on robbery charges.
The two others are Helena Teye (self-styled blogger) and Francis Omari (tutor).
Together, they face two counts — conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery.
The accused persons conspired and robbed Indian victims of unspecified money.
However, the police managed to recover GH¢595,665.00 and $45.140.00 upon arrest.
The pleas of the accused persons are yet to be taken.
The prosecution, led by Inspector Teye Okuffo, urged the court to remand the accused persons pending further investigation.
He argued that additional investigations were necessary considering the gravity of the crime and punishment.
The court granted the prosecution’s prayer and remanded the accused persons for one week.
The court directed that the retrieved items be released to the complainants (Indian nationals) in the case.
The complainants in the case are Girish Saohwani, Manish Kumar, Bhosale Vijay Kantilal, and Lalwani Sumy Kumar, all Indian business people and residents of Osu, Accra.
Per the facts, the trio, led by Inspector Abednego Bortier in a police uniform, knocked on the complainants’ door at their home in Osu on July 19, 2023, around 8:00 am.
They introduced themselves as part of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating alleged illegal activities.
The complainants were handcuffed, and their rooms were ransacked by the accused persons, who then robbed them of items listed on the charge sheet using threats and intimidation.
The stolen items were loaded into a waiting Nissan Sentra saloon car, and the accused persons drove away from the scene.
The victims reported the incident to the police, which initiated an investigation.
Inspector Bortier was tracked down and identified as the police officer in uniform during the robbery.
Upon interrogation, he confessed to the crime and led the police to his house at Dzorwulu, where cash totalling GH¢185,105.00 and $22,500.00 were retrieved.
Inspector Bortier implicated Helena Teye and Francis Omari, along with Elizabeth Teye, who is currently on the run and is being pursued by the police.
Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of Helena Teye at Legon Gardens on July 22, 2023. She claimed that the complainants were involved in money laundering, which motivated their actions. Over GH¢63,000.00 was retrieved from her room at Lakeside.
She later led the police to a friend in Teshie, where GH¢242,100.00 and $18,640.00 were retrieved.
Francis Omari, the tutor, was also tracked down and arrested at Osu near Danquah Circle. He confessed to the crime and led the police to his house at Amasaman-Fise, where cash totalling GH¢64,920.00 and $2,000.00 were retrieved.
Furthermore, passports, laptops, and mobile phones listed on the charge sheet were found in Inspector Abednego Bortier’s Hyundai salon car with registration number GS731-22 parked at the premises of IPMC, Nkrumah Circle, and all these items were retrieved.
On July 23, 2023, the accused persons led the police to the crime scene and demonstrated how they carried out the robbery.
The police investigation revealed that the complainants, who operated a supermarket at Osu, would transport their daily sales home after closing.
Helena Teye allegedly learned of this routine and organised the robbery to frighten the complainants and rob them of their money.
Additionally, videos of the robbery were retrieved from Helena Teye’s laptop, showing the accused committing their criminal act.
The police have recovered a total of GH¢595,665.00 and $45.140.00 from the accused persons, which will be retained as exhibits.
The investigation is ongoing as the police continue to search for the fourth accused, Elizabeth Teye.
The case has been adjourned to August 3, 2023, for further proceedings.