Seven persons alleged to be behind the rampant stealing of unregistered vehicles at Odorkor in Accra and re-spraying them for sale have been busted by the police.
The suspects, including Rockson Dzigborde, a 26-year-old welder, and Eric Adaminor Akoto, 31, unemployed, are said to be the kingpins of the syndicate.
The others are Ofosu Yeboah, 41, and Bismark Agyeman, 45, both car dealers; Kofi Adofo, 48, a spare parts dealer; Ekow Bonney, unemployed, and Nicholas Yeboah, a businessman.
So far, the police have retrieved eight unregistered vehicles which were stolen by the suspects.
The vehicles, which have been parked at the Odorkor Police Station, include a Toyota Corolla, a Toyota Camry and a Pontiac Vibe.
The others are a Saturn Vue, a Kia Sportage, a Nissan Titan pick-up and two Mercedes Benz Sprinter buses. Stealing at mechanic shop
Briefing the Daily Graphic yesterday, the Odorkor District Police Commander, Superintendent of Police Mr Abraham Acquaye, said on March 29, 2014, Mr Patrick A. Bediako, a trader and resident of Awoshie, reported to the police that his unregistered car had been stolen.
He said the complainant told the police that he had sent his Toyota Camry to a mechanic shop at Sakaman for maintenance on March 24, 2014, only to go back there on March 29, 2014 to be told by the mechanic that the car had been stolen.
According to Mr Acquaye, investigations revealed that the car had been re-sprayed and displayed at Obossey Okai for sale and when the police proceeded to the place, Dzigborde and Akoto were arrested and the car impounded.
He said it was later found that Dzigborde had gone to the mechanic shop at Sakaman and told the owner that he wanted to be an apprentice and since he did not have accommodation, he wanted to sleep in the car.
“But in the night he took the car keys which had been hung in the workshop and absconded,” Mr Acquaye said.
Dzigborde was also said to have taken the key to another car which was hanging at the workshop with the intention of going for the car later. Car dealers
During interrogation, Mr Acquaye said Dzigborde and Akoto confessed having been in the car stealing business for the past four years and mentioned the others as their accomplices to whom they had been supplying the stolen cars.
The accomplices, after their arrest at separate locations, admitted receiving the vehicles from Dzigborde and Akoto and led the police to retrieve some of them.
Yeboah, who is alleged to have bought five unregistered vehicles from the suspected car thieves, led the police to retrieve the Pontiac Vibe from Ofankor, while Adofo led the police to Bubiashie to recover the Toyota Corolla.
Apart from Accra, the police suspect that the stolen vehicles are supplied to car dealers in Obuasi, Agona Swedru, Prestea and Cape Coast.
Mr Acquaye said efforts were being made to retrieve the other stolen vehicles and urged the public, including victims and car dealers, to offer information to the police to assist them in their investigations.
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