Abubakar Issah and Joseph Lartey
The two armed robbers who were knocked down by a taxi driver after they had allegedly snatched a backpack and a handbag from a British national at Osu in the Greater Accra Region, have been remanded into custody by an Accra circuit court.
The two, together with another who is now on the run, were said to be on an unregistered motorbike on March 1, 2018 when they approached the woman and snatched her backpack and handbag containing a laptop, mobile phone, documents and unspecified amount of money.
Issah Abubakar, 22, motor rider and Joseph Lartey, 37, fisherman, were apprehended through the citizens when the woman from whom they had snatched the items raised an alarm and a taxi driver knocked down their motorbike.
Although the backpack had been retrieved, the other unnamed suspect managed to make away with the handbag containing the unspecified amount of money.
In the court yesterday, Joseph Lartey appeared to have injured himself in the process as he had his right hand bandaged, with multiple scars on his hands and wrists while Issah Abubakar appeared untouched.
They were put before the court for two counts of conspiracy to commit crime and robbery to which they both pleaded not guilty.
Although their lawyers prayed the court to grant them bail, the presiding judge, Aboagye Tandoh, declined the request, stating that taking into consideration the circumstances surrounding the case and the fact that the police were still investigating it, he would not accept an oral application for bail, asking the lawyers to make it formal.
He thus, remanded the two to reappear on March 26, 2018 and ordered the prosecution to conclude their investigations by then.
Prosecuting, Superintendent of Police, Patience Mario, told the court that the two and another – Â now on the run – were on the motorbike when they saw the complainant, who was returning from work.
She said the suspects stopped their motorbike by the side of the British citizen and managed to snatch her backpack and the handbag.
Sensing danger, Supt. Mario narrated that the three abandoned their motorbike and took to their heels and were chased by some civilians. She said the two then pulled out a machete and a gun, firing warning shots to scare off their pursuers.
Superintendent of Police Patience Mario indicated that the two suspects were overpowered by the civilians and managed to retrieve the backpack, which was thrown onto the ground by Joseph Lartey whiles he was running away.
Supt. Mario added that investigations were still ongoing.
BY Gibril Abdu Razak