SOURCE: GNA
Three persons, including an Indian, have been put before an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly stealing cartons of drugs worth GHC800,304 belonging to Pharmanova Limited, a pharmaceutical company.
The accused persons are Jinkal Pandya, an Indian and a Warehouse Manager, George Asare Danso, a Warehouse Supervisor and Stanley Awuku, a Sales Representative.
They are facing charges of conspiracy to steal and stealing.
Pandya is alleged to have conspired with one Abigail Ngoah, a medical representative to also steal cartons of drugs valued GHC88,000.
The court presided over by Mrs Rosemary Baah Tosu has ordered the arrest of Pandya for failing to turn up in Court.
The court, however, admitted Danso and Awuku to bail in the sum of GHC800,000 with three sureties each.
Abigail was also admitted to bail in the sum of GHC90,000 with one surety.
The accused persons except Pandya, have pleaded not guilty to the various charges.
Prosecuting, Inspector Josephine Lamptey narrated that the complainant was the Human Resource Manager of Pharmanova Limited, Osu in Accra.
Inspector Lamptey said one of the company’s warehouse officers had been seeing Pandya every Saturday morning at the warehouse with a taxi loading drugs without a waybill allegedly.
The prosecution said Pandya had allegedly warned the witness- a warehouse officer- not to tell anyone that he had been stealing from the warehouse.
It said the said witness recorded the conversation and took videos of Pandya and the taxicab used in conveying the drugs.
According to the prosecution, Pandya was, therefore, summoned by the Managing Director and interrogated.
The prosecution said Pandya had allegedly admitted the offence and told the Managing Director that he was in dire need of money to solve an issue and that Danso had told him that he could help him get whatever money he needed, and they roped in Awuku.
It said the three of them had allegedly agreed that Pandya should steal cartons of drugs from the warehouse for Awuku to sell so they could share the proceeds.
According to the prosecution, any time Awuku sold the stolen drugs, he took his share and sent the rest of the money to Danso’s Momo account before Pandya’s was sent to him.
It said Pandya subsequently approached Abigail who also agreed to sell the drugs for Pandya for a share.
The prosecution said when all the accused persons were interrogated, they allegedly admitted the offence, adding that Pandya, Danso and Awuku further admitted that they had shared about GHC110,000 from their activities.
It said in the case of Abigail and Pandya, Abigail allegedly claimed that they had stolen drugs worth GHC10,295 and shared the proceeds.
Prosecution said Awuku and Abigail led management of Pharmanova Limited to their customers, who bought the stolen medicines and 43 varieties of cartons of drugs were retrieved.
It said auditing at the warehouse revealed that products worth GHC888, 304.03 were missing.
The accused persons were arrested after a formal complaint was made at the Osu Police Station.
The prosecution said Pandya refunded GHC40,000, Danso, GHC10,000, and Awuku, GHC17,000.
Abigail refunded GHC1,500 to the Company.