The police have recently made two arrests in connection with the theft of 12 laptop computers from the headquarters of Ghana Reinsurance at Ridge in Accra. The first arrest was of Florent Nii Otu Quarshie, who was arraigned in court and granted bail. Shortly after, Patrick Deh was also arrested and charged.
According to an amended charge sheet filed in court on August 30, 2023, Quarshie, Deh and another accomplice still at large named Kwabena Apoba have been jointly charged with conspiracy to commit crime, unlawful entry and stealing. They have all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
During the court hearing, Quarshie made a surprising claim that Deh knew nothing about the case and was innocent. The judge, Isaac Addo, granted bail of GH¢70,000 each to the two accused, with two sureties each. At least one of the sureties must be a civil servant earning at least GH¢1,500.
The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Jonas Lawer, requested a longer adjournment to obtain fingerprint reports from experts. The judge granted the request and adjourned the case to October 4, 2023. Apoba, who is still at large, has been separately charged with dishonestly receiving the stolen laptops.
According to Chief Inspector Lawer, the complainant Kwame Asare Nkansah Abankwah is a staff member at Ghana Reinsurance located in Ridge, Accra. Quarshie, a porter residing in Old Fadama, and Apoba, a bar operator in Agbogbloshie, have been implicated in the crime.
On June 19, 2023, Abankwah and his colleagues discovered upon arrival at work that thieves had broken into their offices and stolen 12 laptop computers. Police obtained CCTV footage showing Quarshie entering and exiting the offices through the emergency exit while carrying two 'Ghana Must Go' bags.
On July 26, 2023, police received a tip that Quarshie was in police custody regarding another case. During interrogation, Quarshie admitted to the theft and named Patrick as an accomplice. He claimed they sold the laptops to Apoba for GH¢2,500, of which he received GH¢2,500.
Quarshie led police to Agbogbloshie where Apoba allegedly lives but no one was found. He was unable to locate Apoba to hand over the stolen goods. Quarshie reenacted how he committed the crime for police at the crime scene. Intelligence later led to Patrick's arrest, with Quarshie identifying him as his accomplice. Efforts are ongoing to apprehend Apoba.
The police have made progress in solving this case of corporate theft, with two arrests so far and charges filed. Obtaining forensic evidence such as fingerprint reports will be crucial to solidifying the case against the accused persons. With any luck, apprehending the third suspect Apoba - who allegedly received the stolen goods - will help bring this case to a satisfactory conclusion.
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