3 Men remanded for alleged theft of company vehicles in Tarkwa
Three men have been remanded into police custody by the Tarkwa Circuit Court for the alleged theft of five vehicles belonging to different companies.
The accused persons are a 35-year-old driver, Kojo Amponsah, also known as Kamakazi who is a resident of Hwereso, Ejisu, Ashanti Region, a 35-year-old plumber, Emmanuel Appiah, also known as Taller, who is a resident of Danyema-Santanse, Kumasi, a and 33-year-old miner, Tanko Bashiru, also known as TK, resident of Atonsu-Ahensan, Kumasi.
They were before the court presided over by Mrs Bernice Mensimah Ackon on April 16, 2026.
They pleaded not guilty to a total of 14 counts, including unlawful entry, conspiracy to steal and stealing. They are to reappear on May 7, 2026 for case management conference.
According to the prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Samuel Ahiabor, a fourth suspect, Eric Duku, who is the alleged leader of the group, is deceased.
Brief background
The prosecutor said the suspects allegedly carried out a series of planned thefts between September 2025 and January 2026, targeting Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles and Hilux pickups parked at the homes of workers and company staff.
The prosecution said the first incident happened on September 12, 2025, at Bankyim, near Tarkwa, in the Western Region.
The Police said a complainant , a driver with Drill Masters Africa in Tarkwa, Great Dzomeku, reported that a white Toyota Land Cruiser pickup with registration number GE 4447-24, valued at USD88,000, equivalent to GH¢968,000, had been stolen.
The complainant told the police he parked the vehicle at his residence at Jerusalem, Tarkwa, on the night of September 11, 2025, but woke up the next morning to discover it had vanished.
The prosecutor added that a second complaint was made on October 5, 2025, by a worker of Drill Masters Africa Limited, Benjamin Asare.
He reported that a white Toyota Land Cruiser pickup with registration number GT 373-25, valued at USD100,000, equivalent to GH¢1.1 million, had been stolen after it was parked outside his residence at Akyempim, Tarkwa.
The prosecutor said that on November 8, 2025, a miner, Isaac Bachulichaga Apuri, reported the theft of a white Toyota Land Cruiser pickup with registration number GT 2036-25.
The vehicle, said to belong to his company, AECI Explosives Company Tarkwa, was valued at USD55,000, equivalent to GH¢600,205.65.
ASP Ahiabor said that the complainant had parked the vehicle outside his house at New Atuabo, Tarkwa, before retiring to bed, only to discover the next morning that it had been stolen.
In a similar way, a business man with Rana Motors, Tarkwa Branch, Vikas Ameta, reported the theft of a white Toyota pickup with registration number GX 566-25 on December 26, 2025.
The prosecution said the vehicle, valued at USD55,000 dollars, equivalent to GH¢600,205.45, had been parked at a company residence at Akyempim, Tarkwa, after work the previous night.
The final theft listed on the charge sheet involved an unregistered Toyota Hilux pickup valued at GH¢500,000.
The prosecutor said the vehicle had been parked in front of the residence of Akati Alphones, an Auto Electrician at Booboobo, Tarkwa, on January 8, 2026, but was missing in the morning.
He added that following the series of complaints, police said alerts were circulated nationwide to stations, barriers, and snap check points to watch out for the stolen vehicles. Investigators also activated intelligence sources to help trace the suspects.
According to the prosecutor, between February 22 and February 26, 2026, police intelligence operations led to the arrest of the accused persons at various hideouts in Kumasi in connection with a similar offence.
The suspects were later transferred to the Western Central Regional Police Command in Tarkwa to assist investigations.
Police said during interrogation, the accused persons allegedly admitted involvement in the Tarkwa thefts in the presence of independent witnesses.
The prosecutor said that the suspects led police to a number of crime scenes and demonstrated the various roles they played during the theft, adding that the group led police to Samahu, near Tarkwa, where they allegedly showed officers how tracking devices were removed from stolen vehicles before the vehicles were transported to Kumasi.
Court documents alleged that Duku, deceased, often arrived in Tarkwa two to three days before each operation to study the area, identify vehicles and map escape routes. Duku also allegedly always drove the group in his unregistered Toyota Corolla saloon car.
The prosecutor said that Duku used a gas cylinder and cutter, crawled under the targeted vehicles, cut metal parts underneath them and forced them open before moving them from the scenes.
Police said the other accused persons would later join him in Tarkwa to carry out the thefts.
Further investigations revealed that after stealing the vehicles, Duku transported them to Techiman, Bono Region, to an unidentified buyer known only as “Alhaji”, who then moved them to Burkina Faso.
Duku was said to have previously carried out similar successful vehicle thefts in Tarkwa with other suspects.
According to the prosecutor, the accused persons admitted that proceeds from each operation were shared among members of the group.
ASP Ahiabor added that the accused persons admitted the offences in their caution statements and were subsequently charged and arraigned before the court. Efforts are being made to trace and recover the stolen vehicles.
