An Accra Circuit Court has remanded two off-duty police constables in custody for assaulting an Okada rider and stealing GH¢3,700.
General Lance Corporals Philmon Agbevem and Peter Kwame Badagbor, both from the Accra Central District Police Command, have been charged with conspiracy to commit crime and robbery.
The defendants were said to have coerced the complainant to transfer money from his mobile phone to another phone registered in the name of Hope Alorvordzi.
The two, represented by Andy Vortia, have denied all charges.
On September 10, 2024, they are scheduled to appear before Evelyn Asamoah’s court.
Lead by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Emmanuel Haligah, the prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Kofi Anane, informed the court that the complainant, Emmanuel Amertodor, is an Adenta-based Okada rider.
On July 21, 2024, the complainant was arrested by two off-duty police officers riding a motorcycle with the license plate GP 8145. They were tipped off that he and his pillion rider had stolen a purse from a woman at the National Theatre that contained a cell phone and other personal belongings, and that they were riding towards the Thomas Sankara roundabout.
The prosecution claims that the defendants followed the motorbike riders and stopped them at the Christ the King traffic light in front of the Jubilee House while they were armed with rifles and wearing their uniforms.
The rider fled when they attempted to arrest them, but the complainant, who was riding in the pillion, was taken into custody.
The complainant was handcuffed and severely beaten by the two police officers, according to the prosecution.
After taking GH¢120 from the complainant, they forcibly moved GH¢3,700 from his phone to a mobile number belonging to Hope Alovordzi.
According to the prosecution, the complainant brought the case to the attention of the Cantonments Police Department for an investigation, and subsequently the Criminal Investigations Department at Headquarters for a more thorough examination.
After being detained on August 8, 2024, the accused acknowledged that they had detained the complainant on July 21, 2024, but they denied having stolen the money mentioned on the charge sheet.
