[ 2016-02-11 ]

Alleged Koala robbers' case adjourned to February 24
Accra, Feb. 10, GNA – The case of the alleged
Koala Shopping Centre robbers was on Wednesday
adjourned to February 24 due to the absence of the
accused persons in court.

The accused persons including Gilbert Osabutey aka
Obolo, a supervisor of Koala Shopping Centre,
Michael Edor Ahiataku aka Old soldier, a private
security man, and Frederick Sedro Kwame have been
charged with conspiracy to rob.

Stanley Obaliko and Okoe Quarcoe, two other
accomplices have also been charged with robbery.
Accused persons except Obaliko and Quarcoe, had
denied the charges levelled against them.

The plea of the two accused persons had not been
taken because they are hospitalised.

At Wednesday’s sitting, Mr George Assamaney a
defence counsel drew the court’s attention to
the fact that his client had not been brought to
court.

Prosecuting Chief Superintendent of Police Mr
Duuti Tuaruka acknowledged that the accused
persons were not in court because the case
investigator was unable to bring them to court.

Prosecution therefore prayed for an adjournment.
The court presided over by Mr Aboagye Tandoh
adjourned the matter to February 24.

Prosecuting Chief Superintendent Tuaruka had told
the Court that Obaliko, a Nigerian and Quarcoe
were on admission after sustaining injuries in
their thighs.

Narrating the facts, he said the complainant in
the case is Lydia Horsu, a Marketing Administrator
with the Shopping Centre, who went round daily to
collect the previous day’s sales and sent it to
their head office.

On January 6, Osabutey, Ahiataku and Kwame hatched
a plan to rob the Shopping Centre and sought the
assistance of the two others, now at large, who
also recruited Obaliko and Quarcoe to carry out
the plan.

Prosecution said on January 8, around 20:00hrs,
all the accused persons met at the Koala Shopping
Centre at Cantonments and Osabutey, who is a
supervisor at the Cantonments branch, briefed them
about the movement of the complainant.

The prosecutor said the accused persons agreed to
rob the complainant the following day.

On January 9, this year, at about 0800hrs, the
complainant went to the Koala Shopping Centre,
Cantonments, but she decided to pick the
Company’s invoice and voucher to audit them and
left for the head office at the Airport.

On seeing the complainant leave the office,
Osabutey alerted the accused persons through phone
calls and Obaliko and Quarcoe boarded a BMW motor
bike and moved closer to the Koala head office.

Obaliko and Quarcoe trailed the complainant to a
section near the American Embassy at Cantonments.

Prosecution said Obaliko who was then the pillion
rider alighted, drew out a pistol at the
complainant and ordered her to surrender her
handbag to him.

Chief Supt Tuaruka said Ms Horsu refused to comply
and raised the alarm.

He said this infuriated Obaliko who pushed the
complainant down and shot her twice in her thigh
and calf and after which he (Obaliko) and Quarcoe
sped off.

A taxi driver, who witnessed the incident, chased
them with his vehicle and hit their motor bike.

Police investigations, however, led to the arrest
of the rest of the accused persons, with Obaliko
and Quarcoe currently receiving treatment at the
Police Hospital.

Chief Supt. Tuaruka said the victim, who was shot
twice by the accused persons, is on admission at
the 37 Military Hospital, responding to
treatment.

Prosecution said the Police are conducting further
investigations to arrest the two other accomplices
who are now at large.

Source - GNA

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