An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced an unemployed, 29, to three months imprisonment in hard labour for forging the signature of a complainant and attempting to steal $800 from his Calbank account.

Eriyo Victor Andrian Abel admitted the offence and he was sentenced accordingly.

However, he has denied the charges of attempted stealing and stealing and prosecution was ordered by the Court presided over by Emmanuel Essandoh to file an order to prove the charges against him.

Police Inspector Samuel Ahiabor told the Court that Kwaku Bortsie, an electrical engineer, is the complainant in the case and a resident of Community 10, Tema.

He said the convict resided at Tip-Toe Lane, Kwame Nkrumah Interchange and on May 19, 2021, the complainant was travelling from Accra to Kumasi with his luggage containing ¢1,500, a laptop computer, external drive and its charger, Tecno phone charger, CalBank cheque booklets, receipts, invoices, DVLA cover notes, complimentary cards, among other documents.

Inspector Ahiabor said the complainant boarded a VIP bus and a few minutes before it took off, he detected his missing luggage, thus, he lodged a complaint with the Police as well as his bank.

Prosecution said on May 31, 2021, at about 1300 hours, the bank manager of the Ring Road branch of the bank, where he saved, arrested and sent to the Police Abel had forged the complainant’s signature on one of his cheque leaflets and attempted to withdraw $800 from his account.

A search conducted on him revealed all the other documents belonging to Mr Bortsie. He then admitted forging his signature in his cautioned statement but failed to account for the laptop, external drive and the ¢1,500.