The Asante Bekwai Circuit Court has sentenced two soldiers to ten years imprisonment each in hard labour for kidnapping and robbing a small-scale miner of GHC96,500.00.
Air-force Lance Corporal (LAC) Alfred Mensah, 33 and LAC Matthew Amoako, 28, both denied conspiring to rob and kidnap Mr Andrews Asante.
They were then taken through a full trial and found culpable.
Meanwhile, three of their accomplices: only named as Frimpong and Francis, both soldiers as well as one Francis Acheampong, 41, driver, are at large.
Detective Chief Inspector Eric Twum, narrating told the Court presided over by Mr. Isaac Appeatu that Mr. Asante, the Complainant, was a small-scale miner resident at Ametubuom, a suburb of Asiwa, whilst Mensah and Amoako are Air Force officers based in Accra and Tamale, respectively but both were on a course in Accra.
He said Acheampong, the driver, worked with a car renting company in Accra whereas Frimpong and Francis, also military personnel based in Kumasi were at large. Prosecution said Acheampong after meeting the soldiers on November 25, 2023, and knowing they were going on a robbery expedition, led them to the secretary of his company.
He told him that Mensah, Amoako and Frimpong were going to affect an arrest at Konongo, thus rented a Mitsubishi Pajaro with registration number GS 3236-17 which Acheampong was assigned to drive.
Detective Chief Inspector Twum said they set off from Accra at about 1400 hours and on reaching Konongo, they picked up Francis, adding that they were in military uniform.
Frimpong, the Court heard, who claimed to be a native of Asiwa, led them to Ametubuom, a community near Asiwa, to the complainant’s residence at about 0130 hours, where they shouted his name, banged his gate, and asked him to come out.
For fear of his life, he refused to come out until the gang attacked his friend, Kwabena whom his wife called to come to their rescue.
The convicts, Police said, turned their anger on the complainant when he finally came out and pushed him back into his room, where they subjected him to beatings and demanded GH¢400,000 before they would release him.
He said the complainant did not have the amount but for fear of his life and family, borrowed GH¢10,000 from his mother-in-law who lived in the same house, and he surrendered same to them.
Police said not satisfied, the gang continued beating the complainant as they demanded more money, but he pleaded with the mother-in-law to add more, if she had, where she obliged and brought out additional GH¢20,000 wrapped in a black polythene bag and handed same to the robbers.
The prosecution said Amoako pushed back the mother-in-law into her room when the gang, realised that she had more money in the room, where they ransacked the room and retrieved GH¢40,000 and later went to the complainant’s room ransacked the place also and took GH¢15,000.
They again seized GH¢7,000 from Kwabena as well as the ignition key to the motorbike he came with, to prevent him from chasing them, the Court heard.
Still not satisfied with all the money they stole; they forcibly pushed the complainant into their vehicle and held him at ransom.
Detective Chief Inspector Twum said as the complainant was in their vehicle, Mensah searched him and removed GH¢4,500 from his pocket, stating that in total, they had a booty of GH¢96,500.
Police had wind of the incident and signalled them to stop but they ignored and sped off.
He said Police shot at the vehicle but that did not stop them until they got to a broken bridge at the Anwiam.
The vehicle could not cross the broken bridge, so they abandoned it and continued on foot into a forest still, holding the complainant hostage, he said.
The prosecution said some members of nearby communities also got wind of the incident and went searching for them, saying that as the gang were in the bush with their victim and booty, they were also trying to find their way out.
At about 0430 hours, Mensah and Amoako appeared at Anumso Town, looking for a get-away vehicle but were arrested by the town folks and later handed over to the Police.
Frimpong and Francis waited for Mensah and Amoako and when they were not returning, they abandoned the complainant and fled through the forest.
The prosecution said the two were later arrested and they admitted the offences and mentioned their accomplices.
Mensah told Police that their booty was taken by the town folks, who arrested them. Later one body armour, the complainant’s walking aid and Kwabena’s motorbike ignition key, were retrieved from their hide-out in the forest.
