Wedding thief placed in custody
A woman who allegedly stole GH¢15,000 in gifts at a wedding reception at La in Accra has been remanded in prison custody by the Accra Circuit Court.
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The accused, Emelia Appiah, who is currently four months’ pregnant and is believed to have specialised in the act of stealing from newly wedded couples, pleaded not guilty to the charge of stealing and is to reappear on August 28, 2013.
The prosecutor, Inspector K. Nyadikor, told the court, presided over by Ms Romaine Abele Abbey, that on April 20, 2013, the accused went to the bride’s house and imposed herself as a member of the team which was to dress her, but Emelia was turned away because by that time, the bride had already dressed up.
He said Emelia later followed up to the All Souls Baptist Church, South La, where the wedding took place and again impersonated one Salome Boatemaa Boamah, who was part of the team in charge of the gift table.
Inspector Nyadikor said when Emelia introduced herself as Salome, she was allowed by the church clerks to arrange the gift table.
He said after the wedding ceremony, all the gifts, made up of envelopes containing a total of GH¢15,000 and parcels, were put together and taken to the reception grounds at the Army Officers Mess at the 37 Military Hospital.
He said the accused, in the course of a conversation with a witness in the case, introduced herself as a course mate of the bride at the University of Cape Coast.
Inspector Nyadikor said after the wedding reception, the parcels and the record book were bound together and separated from the bag containing the envelopes.
According to the prosecutor, as the parcels were being packed into a car, the accused stole the bag containing the envelopes and bolted in a waiting taxi.
He said on April 21, 2013, the complainant lodged a complaint to that effect at the Cantonments Police Station and informed all his friends to be on the look-out.
On August 17, 2013, the accused was spotted at another wedding reception at Dansoman where she was arrested by the police.
By Michael Donkor/Daily Graphic/Ghana