The District Magistrate court at Enchi has fined two friends ¢600 each for stealing a motorbike valued at ¢4,200.

Ebenezer Kwaw, a Junior High School student, 18 and Seth Owusu, illegal miner, 19, in default, would each serve nine months imprisonment in hard labour.

The two were also ordered to sign a bond to be of good behaviour for 12 months, and each would serve nine months imprisonment in hard labour in default. In addition, they pleaded guilty to abetment of crime and stealing.

Prosecuting, Detective Inspector Joseph Kwadwo Agyare told the court that the complainant, Issaka Mohammed, is a miner and resident of Abokyia, while the convicts, resident of Papoeso and Emre Dani cottage all in the Aowin Municipality.

He said on March 20, 2021; the convicts met at Kwaw's house after they had successfully stolen a motorbike at Papoeso and agreed not to meet in town so that they would not be suspected as the brain behind the theft.

Inspector Agyare said while Owusu was leaving to his house, he instructed Kwaw to try and steal one motorbike from some miners who usually worked along the Frantrakesim road, which he obliged.

On March 23, 2021, the complainant parked his unregistered Haojin motorbike at the above-mentioned location and went to work around 0800 hours.

Prosecution said at about 1400 hours, Kwaw secretly went to the spot where the complainant had parked his motorbike and stole it, after which he hid it in a cocoa farm along the Emre Dani road.

Inspector Agyare said at about 1700 hours the same day, the complainant, after the day’s work, returned to where he parked his motorbike, but it was not there.

The complainant then wrote the chassis number of his motorbike on pieces of paper and distributed same to the motor mechanics in the vicinity to help him track the offenders.

He said on March 25, this year, at about 1700 hours, the complainant had a tip-off from a mechanic at Kwawu that Kwaw had brought the said motorbike to his shop to swap the parts.

Base on the information, the complainant went to Kwawu, and with the assistance of some youth, Kwaw was arrested and escorted to the Enchi police station with the motorbike, the prosecution said.

He said during the investigation Kwaw in his caution statement, mentioned Owusu as his accomplice, and he was also arrested for questioning.