Joana Krah (left)
The Takoradi Circuit Court ‘A’ has sentenced 29-year old Joana Krah who faked her kidnapping and demanded a ransom of GH¢5,000.00 from her adopted father to six years imprisonment.
This was after the suspect pleaded guilty to both counts of deceiving public officers and publication of false news intended to cause fear and panic when she appeared before the court yesterday.
She was convicted on her plea and the court, presided over by His Honour Michael Kudjoe Ampadu, sentenced to six years imprisonment on count one and two years imprisonment on count two to run concurrently.
Joana Krah, Susana Awortwe, 27, and Francis Eshun, also 27 were arrested by the Takoradi Divisional Police Command for staging a kidnap and demanding a ransom of GH¢5,000.00.
According to a statement issued by the Ghana Police Service and signed by ACP Kwesi Ofori, Acting Director General, Public Affairs, Joana Krah, conspired with the two other suspects and feigned her kidnapping on Friday October 22, 2021.
A call was placed to Joana’s adopted father and demanded a ransom of GH¢5,000.00.
Subsequently, the adopted father reported the case to the police.
Surprisingly, on Saturday October 23, 2021, Joana showed up at the police station to confess that she was not kidnapped and was only playing pranks with her father.
This was after she got hint that her adopted father had lodged a complaint with the police and extensive search was underway.
Police further investigation led to the arrest of the two other suspects for their complicity.
The three suspects were expected to be in court yesterday. However, only Joana Krah was in court while the two other alleged suspects were absent.
In recent times, residents in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis have become worried at the incessant fake kidnaping incidents being recorded in the area.
Some unscrupulous persons in the metropolis have made it a habit to fake their kidnaping for monetary gains, after four girls were kidnapped and brutally killed by two Nigerians in the area in 2018.
It would be recalled that a woman also recently faked her pregnancy and kidnapping in Takoradi and she is currently being tried at a Takoradi Circuit Court.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi