Taxi driver steals from passengers

A 34-year-old taxi driver, Gilbert Ohene Kwarfo, who with a lady accomplice has allegedly been stealing from unsuspecting  passengers, has been hauled before court.

He was said to have stolen money and other valuables  from female passengers who boarded his taxi with the aid of the lady (who is now at large). 

Kwarfo pleaded not guilty to six counts of stealing. Kwarfo was remanded in police custody and the case adjourned to December 9, 2014.

  The prosecutor, Sgt F.A. Ansah, said from August to October this year, the complainants reported to the Achimota Mile 7 Police Station that a taxi driver and a woman pretending to be a passenger had conspired to steal their money and other valuables from their bags. 

He said their modus operandi was that after a passenger had  boarded  the vehicle  Kwarfo  would head towards the destination but on reaching a quiet portion of the road, he would  tell the passenger to get down with the excuse that he was no longer going towards that direction. 

Sgt Ansah said Kwarfo  would tell the passenger to open the door from outside, knowing that he had locked the door from his end using the central lock.  

Sgt Ansah said while the passenger struggled  to open the door,  his accomplice  would secretly dip her hand into the  passenger’s bag and steal from it.

 He said immediately they achieved their  aim, Kwarfo would  open the door   for the passenger to alight  and  he  would speed away. 

 One of the victims, Sgt Ansah said, managed to write down the vehicle’s  registration number GT 8564-G and  the driver was arrested. 

Upon his arrest, the driver denied  any knowledge of the crime  and  mentioned  Kwarfo  as the one who used the taxi as a spare driver. Kwarfo was, therefore, arrested.

During an identification parade, two of the  victims, Beatrice Antwi and Benedicta Siaw, were able to identify him. 

In his investigation caution statement, Ohene admitted having taken cash  of GH¢260 on the carpet of the back seat but denied stealing from the complainants. 

He also failed to lead the police to  arrest  his accomplice.