An 18-year-old small-scale miner, Mohammed Razak, has been sentenced to five years of imprisonment with hard labor by the Tarkwa Circuit Court. Razak, from the Wassa Japa community, was found guilty of stealing mining equipment valued at GH13,400. He pleaded guilty to the offense and asked the court for leniency. However, justice took its course.
The prosecution, led by Superintendent of Police Juliana Essel-Dadzie, shared the details of the case with the court, which was presided over by Mrs. Hathia Ama Manu. According to the prosecution, both the complainant and Razak resided in Wassa Japa, within the Wassa Amenfi East constituency, and worked on the same small-scale mining site.
Barely a month ago, the complainant had to halt mining operations at the site due to a water shortage. He dismantled the mining equipment and left it on-site, planning to transport it to a safer location soon after.
However, the very next day, when the complainant returned to the mining site, he was shocked to find key equipment missing, including two pairs of crushers (top and bottom), two routers, hammers, a pump machine, shovels, and a woolen blanket—all worth GH¢13,400.
In a bid to track down the missing mining equipment, the complainant conducted his own investigation. His efforts led him to suspect Razak, who was eventually taken to the Wassa Akropong police station and handed over to the authorities. After questioning, Razak confessed to the theft and revealed that he had sold the stolen items to a scrap dealer in the Wassa Adiembra community. However, when the police went to recover the equipment, the scrap dealer was nowhere to be found.
This incident raises questions: How do communities safeguard equipment in vulnerable areas? Could early interventions have prevented this? While Razak now faces the consequences of his actions, his case serves as a reminder of the importance of responsibility and the long-lasting impact of choices. The complainant has since expressed hope that the missing equipment will be found and returned.
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