An Accra Circuit Court has placed two off-duty Police constables in custody after they allegedly assaulted an Okada rider and stole GH¢3,700.
General Lance Corporals Philmon Agbevem and Peter Kwame Badagbor, who are both assigned to the Accra Central District Police Command, face charges of conspiracy to commit a crime and robbery.
The accused allegedly compelled the victim to transfer funds from his mobile phone to another phone registered under the name Hope Alorvordzi.
The two officers, represented by their lawyer, Andy Vortia, have pleaded not guilty to all charges.
They are scheduled to appear before the court, presided over by Evelyn Asamoah, on September 10, 2024.
The prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Kofi Anane, under the guidance of ASP Emmanuel Haligah, informed the court that the complainant, Emmanuel Amertodor, is an Okada rider residing in Adenta.
On July 21, 2024, the two off-duty officers, riding a motorcycle with registration number GP 8145, intercepted the complainant based on a tip-off that he and his passenger had stolen a purse containing a mobile phone and other personal belongings from a woman near the National Theatre and were en route to the Thomas Sankara roundabout.
The prosecution stated that the accused, dressed in uniform and armed with a rifle, pursued the motorcyclists and intercepted them at the Christ the King traffic light, near the Jubilee House.
During the attempted arrest, the rider managed to escape, but the passenger, who is the complainant, was apprehended.
The prosecution further revealed that the two officers brutally beat the complainant, handcuffed him, and forcibly transferred GH¢3,700 from his mobile phone to a number registered under the name Hope Alovordzi, along with taking GH¢120 in cash from him.
The complainant reported the incident to the Police at Cantonments for initial investigations, which were later transferred to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters for further probe.
The accused were arrested on August 8, 2024, and during questioning, they admitted to arresting the complainant on July 21, 2024, but denied stealing the amount mentioned in the charges.