The suspect pleaded guilty to the charge and if he did not pay the fine he would be imprisoned for 20 years at hard labor.
According to Police Inspector (P/Insp.) Emmanuel Asare the complainant, the farmer, and the convict are residents from different suburbs in Wamfie, the capital of Dormaa East district, Bono Region.
Asare said the complainant owns agricultural land located in Wammu near Wamfie, where part of the land is planted with bananas and vegetables.
He said for more than a year now, convicts and other galamseyers have taken possession of the land and caused great damage for more than a year.
He stated that all efforts made by the police and those who reported to arrest the illegal miners failed, until about four months ago when the complainant, with the help of some youths, arrested the accused while he was active in illegal mining in agricultural land. .
The prosecutor said that the accused fled when he was escorted to the police station, indicating that on Sunday, December 12, 2022, he met the accused and one other person who was engaged in mining in agricultural land.
He said the complainant hid and invited his son, a witness in the case, to the scene and they planned how to arrest the miners.
The accused and his friends allegedly left when they recognized the complainant and her son.
However, the police caught the culprit and sent him to the police, along with the carpet cleaner and the plastic container.
Inspector Asare said that on Monday, December 19, 2022, the complainant returned to the location and found a pickaxe, shovel, and cutlass believed to be other tools used by the accused and his friends.
During the investigation, the inmate confessed to the offense in an investigative caution statement to the police and named one Effah from Wamfie as an accomplice.
He said the police went to Effah’s house, and were told that he had left town. After further investigation, the inmate was charged with the crime.