The Accra Circuit Court Eight has sentenced two car snatchers to 20 years imprisonment each in hard labour.
Mohammed Razak, a footballer and Isaac Odoom, a mechanic, who pleaded guilty to conspiring to snatch a Toyota Belta from Jones Adu, were convicted on their own plea and sentenced accordingly.
Police Chief Inspector Maxwell Ayim told the Court presided over by Adelaide Abui Keddey that Adu, an online driver and the complainant lived at Amasaman.
He said Razak, alias Buhari, was a resident at Mallam whilst Odoom lived at Kasoa.
Chief Inspector Ayim said there had been a series of car snatching incidents on the Spintex road, Community 18 and Klagon environs and that the “modus operandi” was to strangulate drivers with a nylon rope and snatch their cars.
He said in one of such instance, a driver was strangled to death after his neck was tied with a nylon rope against the car’s headrest by the attackers who attempted to hijack his car.
The prosecution said on June 21, 2022, at about 0245 hours, the complainant was driving a Toyota Belta saloon car with registration number GG 721-21, which he used online from Lapaz towards Achimota overhead.
He said at a section of the road near the footbridge, the convicts-Razak and Odoom – who were standing by a car park, signaled him to stop.
The prosecution said Odoom during a conversation with the complainant informed him that he and Razak, who was then standing across the road at the other end were going to the Lashibi football park.
Chief Inspector Ayim said the complainant and Razak agreed on GH¢60.00.
He said Razak sat at the back seat behind the driver whilst Odoom sat at the front seat.
The Court heard that the convicts directed the complainant to the Monkey Forest, Klagon, and told the complainant to negotiate a turn since they had gotten to their destination and the complainant obliged.
The prosecution said when the complainant finally parked, Razak told the driver that he was paying the fare through mobile money and in the process, Odoom switched off the ignition and seized the car key.
He said in the process, Razak used a nylon rope to tie the complainant’s neck against the headrest of the car seat to strangle and overpower the complainant.
The court heard that the complainant managed to bite in between the thumb and the fore finger of the left hand of Odoom.
The prosecution said, however, the convicts managed to overpower the complainant, pushed him out of the car and drove off with the car, which contained the complainant’s cash of GH¢1,020.00 and an Infinix mobile phone valued GH¢1,500.00.
Chief Inspector Ayim said the complainant was spotted by a Good Samaritan who assisted him to get to the Klagon Police Station to lodge an official complaint.
He said the owner of the car, a witness, was informed, and that the car was later tracked and seen to be heading towards Suhum.
The prosecution said with the assistance of the police, the car was tracked to Effiduase a suburb of Koforidua where the convicts were spotted and arrested.
He said the car was retrieved and both convicts and exhibits were escorted to the Klagon Police Station.
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During interrogations, they admitted having robbed the complainant of GH¢100.00, which they used to buy fuel for the car, and claimed they had abandoned a bag at Koforidua, which contained the Infinix mobile phone.
In their respective cautioned statements before an independent witness, they admitted the offences and consequently prosecuted.
