A 44-year-old driver, Kwame Oppong, has been sentenced to five years in prison by the Asante Akropong Circuit Court in the Atwima Nwabiagya North District for stealing a low-bed truck valued at GH₵300,000.
Presiding over the case, Mrs. Gloria Mensah Bonsu convicted Oppong on his own guilty plea. The prosecution, led by Police Chief Inspector Ruth Gborson, detailed the events leading to the theft.
The complainant, Stephen Kingsley Annor, a businessman from Pankrono near Kumasi, had employed Oppong in May 2023 to drive his Man Diesel low-bed truck with registration number GE 2113-11. Two months into the job, the truck developed a fault.
Annor instructed Oppong to park the truck at Kumasi Sofoline and take its head to Suame Magazine for repairs. However, Oppong convinced Annor to park the truck at his mother’s residence in Adankwame-Nsiakrom, citing security concerns.
Unbeknownst to Annor, Oppong sold the truck to a scrap dealer named Abubakar for GH₵12,000 and fled. After several failed attempts to locate Oppong, Annor reported the case to the Abuakwa Police.
Oppong was eventually apprehended in his hometown of Offinso-Abofuor. During investigations, he admitted to the crime and led police to the buyer’s residence at Afful Nkwanta, but the buyer could not be traced.
Following further investigations, Oppong was charged and subsequently sentenced. The case highlights the severity of the crime and serves as a deterrent to others contemplating similar actions.