Kumasi: A 63-year-old trader has been sentenced to five years imprisonment by the Kwadaso Circuit Court in the Kwadaso Municipality in the Ashanti region for stealing a tricycle and bread in Kumasi. Adamu Alhassan pleaded guilty to the charge of stealing and was convicted on his own plea.
According to Ghana News Agency, the facts of the case were presented to the court presided by Mr. Jephthah Appau by Police Chief Inspector David Opoku Kwabi. The complainant, Oduro Zakaria, a bread baker residing in Kumasi Ashtown, reported that Adamu, who lived in Ahwiaa in the Afigya Kwabere East Municipality, had stolen his tricycle and bread.
In February 2024, Zakaria loaded 114 loaves of bread valued at GHc 1,680.00 onto his unregistered tricycle, worth GHc 35,000.00, intending to deliver them to his customers at the Adehyeman lorry station in Kumasi. When the tricycle developed a fault, Adamu introduced himself as the station master and offered assistance to push it to a safer location.
The prosecution stated that they both pushed the tricycle to the Kejetia MTN roundabout, where Zakaria left it in Adamu's care to find a mechanic. An hour later, upon returning with a mechanic, Zakaria discovered both the vehicle and Adamu were missing. He rushed back to the lorry station only to find out that Adamu was not a worker or station master there.
On August 28, a witness identified Adamu at the station, leading to his arrest. He was handed over to the Ashanti Regional Anti Armed Robbery Unit (AARU) of the Ghana Police Service. In his caution statement, Adamu admitted to stealing the tricycle and bread, claiming he sold the tricycle to a scrap dealer at Bremang for GHc 700.00 and distributed the bread to passers-by.
Following further investigations, he was charged and brought before the court.
