Cell phone thieves nabbed

THE Nima Police have arrested three suspected mobile phone thieves who were alleged to have stolen over 300 mobile phones and accessories, digital cameras, cam-coders, and a play station (both video gadgets), from a phone dealer at the Tip Toe Lane near the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra.
The suspects who live in Nima are, Adamu Ibrahim alias Kabruso, who allegedly masterminded the operation, and was said to be a roadside mobile phone seller,Nicholas Nimta, alias Horror, a barber and Ibrahim Hamidu also a roadside mobile phone seller.
They were arrested on March 7, 2009, and arraigned on March 10, 2009 and remanded in police custody. They are to reappear before court on March, 26, 2009.
The Nima Divisional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Andrew Angwubatogwe Awuni, who narrated the incident to the Daily Graphic, said the complainant on March 5, 2009 got to his shop at about 7:00a.m. to start business as usual but detected that all items in his shop had been stolen.
ACP Awuni said the complainant had noticed that the thief or thieves had gained entry into his store by cutting through the backside of a wooden shop before his store, and later cutting through the side of his store which was also wooden and making away with all the items.
He said the complainant informed his friends who were also mobile phone dealers to be on the alert.
ACP Awuni said on March 7, 2009 the third accused person, Ibrahim Hamidu sold seven assorted phones at a cost of GH¢350 but the witness who knew Hamidu very well paid GH¢550 for the phones and quickly took the phones to the complainant who identified them as some of his stolen phones.
He said the witness then called Hamidu and reminded him of the over payment and requested that either he returned the balance of GH¢200 or brings more phones to cover the balance.
Consequently, he said Hamidu agreed to bring more phones to the witness, and was arrested in the process.
During interrogation, Hamidu was said to have mentioned the second accused, Nicholas Nimta as his source of supply. The witness informed the police of the information and added that upon his arrest, Nimta initially denied knowledge of the phones, but later admitted and confessed to the crime.
Two mobile phones and all the accessories for the phones and digital cameras including the cam-coders were found during a search conducted at his barbering shop.
??He said Nimta also mentioned the first accused person, Adamu Ibrahim as the person who gave him the phones and all the accessories to sell, and pointed??. When a search was conducted in his Ibrahim room after his arrest, seven pieces of Ipods, one play station, three speakers, four phones and accessories belonging to the complainant were retrieved.
ACP Awuni said Ibrahim also mentioned one Maxwell as the person who gave him the phones and digital cameras to sell but could not lead the police to the said Maxwell.
He said upon further investigations it was found that the second accused person, Nimta had given some of the stolen items to his family members to sell for him.
ACP Awuni said when Nimta was interrogated, he denied all the allegations, but on March, 9 2009 some of his family members gave 22 digital cameras and cam-coders and 20 assorted mobile phones to the complainant, claiming that they were retrieved them from some unidentified persons.
He said the items so far recovered included 40 pieces of assorted mobile phones, 47 pieces of digital cameras, seven pieces of Ipods, one play station and quantities of mobile phones and digital camera accessories. Mr Awuni said investigations were still ongoing to retrieve the remaining items.

Caption: From left to right, Nicholas Nimta, alias Horror, Adamu Ibrahim alias Kabruso, and Ibrahim Hamidu.