When three students of the Mpasatia Secondary School, near Nkawie-Toase in the Ashanti Region, responded to an invitation to follow two dormitory mates to Bibiani last Sunday, to seek refund of a colleague’s lost mobile phone, little did they know that they had been offered for sale for ritual purposes.
It was not until the Nyinahini District Police swooped on them that they discovered that they had been exchanged for ў100 million to a ‘buyer’ in Bibiani by their colleagues, Norman Nti Jnr. 22, and Godwin Biri Asamoah, 19.
The two who finished writing the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination last week Friday had allegedly arranged to sell Edward Osei-Tutu, 16, a first-year student, Seth Osei, 17, second year and Bright Darko, 18, who also wrote his last paper last Friday.
Nti and Asamoah have since been arraigned before the Bibiani Magistrate Court and remanded in prison custody until July 21.
Narrating the incident to the Times, ASP Felix Toya, Bibiani District Police Commander, who led the operation to arrest the boys, said that on Friday, June 2, Nti called Ofosu Apenteng in Bibiani, and allegedly asked him to find a buyer for three boys promising that if the deal went through, he would receive ¢20 million.
Nti and Apenteng had previously lived in the same area and according to him, Nti sent his mobile number through a neighbour and requested that he (Apenteng) got in touch. It was after this contact that Nti followed up with his request.
ASP Toya said that Apenteng alerted the police who got a cashier working in Bibiani to feign interest. Apenteng then asked Nti to bring the boys to Bibiani, telling him that he had only ¢3 million cash available and would pay the remaining ¢97 million by cheque.
ASP Toya said that around 4pm on Sunday, Nti called Apenteng to inform him that they were waiting to be picked up in front of the Bibiani Secondary School. The police arranged a private vehicle to take them to a hotel which had been booked for them while they mounted a surveillance around the area.
He said that as previously arranged, Seth Osei-Tutu and Darko were left at the reception while Nti and Asamoah bargained with Ofosu and the prospective ‘buyer’ in the hotel room after which they were to leave by another exit as the buyer took possession of the boys.
The District Commander stated that as soon as Nti was given the money and the cheque, plain-cloth policemen who had positioned themselves at the other exit moved on and arrested the suspects.
He said that all this while, the three unsuspecting victims were waiting in the lobby of the reception and did not believe it when the police told them what was happening.
The genesis of the matter according to Mr. Toya, was when Nti took Osei’s mobile phone and later informed him that it was missing. He said that when Osei insisted that the phone be replaced, Nti asked him to accompany him to Bibiani to see his millionaire uncle who could pay it.
He, however, told Osei to quote the cost as ¢4 million since his uncle could pay it and even more.
Osei-Tutu and Darko, he said decided to join the group so that they could also get a share of the money.
Asamoah was alleged to have confessed during police interrogation, that he had once sold someone for ritual purposes and so agreed to assist Nti.
The police are investigating his claims.
The three victims have been released to go back to school to complete their end-of-term examination.
No comments:
Post a Comment