Three siblings and two others have been charged with stealing 2.4 kilograms of gold worth GH¢1.8 million, equivalent to $150,000.
The siblings are Theresa Oppong, 28, said to be the mastermind, Alice Gyan, 21, and Beatrice Asabea. They were charged together with Ishmael Ocansey and Thomas Adjapon, both gold dealers.
The accused persons were arraigned at the Circuit Court in Accra, where Oppong was remanded while Gyan was granted bail in the sum of GH¢50,000 with two sureties who should be relatives. Both pleaded not guilty to separate charges of stealing and abetment, respectively.
Asabea, on the other hand, is currently at large and has been charged with conspiracy.
The gold dealers were charged with dishonestly receiving stolen items and were on police inquiry bail but failed to show up in court.
The accused persons allegedly stole the gold from their employer, AU Gold Resources Ltd, a gold-buying company in Ghana, and then sold it to the gold dealers.
The facts before the court indicate that on March 23, 2023, the complainant Sopam Maseker, called Theresa Oppong, who happens to be a cleaner and a cook at the complainants’ house, to clean and dress his bed where some amount of money and 2.4 kilograms of gold were concealed in a bag under the bed.
During the cleaning exercise, she came across the valuables and called Alice to discuss how to steal the money.
After establishing the road map, Theresa carried the gold in a bedsheet into the washroom and subsequently took the gold in a mop bucket into her room, on the blind side of the complainant.
After a short while, the first accused proceeded to meet her other siblings at Osu.
Afterwards, the siblings met up with the dealers — Ishmael and Thomas — at their shops at Adabraka and sold the gold to them at GH¢360,000.00 and GH¢369,728.00.
The prosecution said after the sale, Asabea took part of the gold and the entire booty away because Ishmael and Thomas had no money to buy them.
On March 24, the complainant uncovered the theft leading to their arrest.
In the case of Ishmael and Thomas, they reported themselves at the CID headquarters upon invitation and readily produced the gold. In their defense, they were made to believe that Theresa, Alice and Asabea were into galamsey with their brothers and had decided to sell the proceeds to them.
Efforts are underway to arrest Asabea, who is currently at large.