A Tamale Circuit Court presided over by Senyo Amedahe on Monday, convicted a 34-year-old self-styled medical doctor, Habib Dramani, to a fine of 220 penalty units� equivalent of GH�2,640 or in default serve 100 days in prison.
The suspect who pleaded guilty to the first count of falsely holding himself as a public officer was however acquitted and discharged on two other counts of stealing.
The trial judge disclosed that the prosecution failed to establish the facts linking the accused to the accusation of stealing two vehicles belonging to a restaurant operator and a medical assistant at the Tamale Teaching Hospital.
Habib Dramani was arrested by the Tamale Police for posing as a doctor and allegedly defrauding unsuspecting persons within the Tamale Metropolis and its environs.
He was also reported to have taken the opportunity to unleash his libido on a number of female students of the University for Development Studies (UDS) and succeeded in ripping off their properties including iPod, phones and laptops.
The imposter at the time of his arrest was in possession of a doctor�s overcoat, theatre wear, stethoscope and some documents such as prescription forms of the Tamale Teaching Hospital.
Giving the facts of the case, police disclosed that Habib was reported to have been parading himself as a member of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) in Tamale and Bolgatanga respectively.
According to the police, one Madam Kadri Rafatu, a medical assistant at the Tamale Teaching Hospital, reported that the accused person who gave his name as Dr. Habib Dramani introduced himself to her as a Canadian trained doctor at the Tamale Teaching Hospital.
She accorded him all the necessary courtesies as she was unable to authenticate his claim since she had just resumed work from her annual leave.
Both exchanged contacts and kept in touch until last week when the said doctor requested to use her Great Wall Vulici 30 saloon car with registration number GN 5741-12 to visit a colleague at a nearby health facility and return immediately.
Two hours later the she called him to ask the whereabouts of her car but the suspect started giving her flimsy excuses and indicated he was at another facility from his first point of call.
An official complaint was lodged with the Tamale Police who relayed the details of the car to their various outlets in the Northern, Upper East and West regions.
Police through surveillance were able to track down the vehicle in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region being driven by one gentleman, leading to his arrest.
According to the suspect, Habib gave him the car to drive to Bolgatanga for him to pick up later at a secret location near a popular hotel in the area.
Police laid ambush and when the said doctor showed up to take the vehicle he was apprehended and transferred to Tamale where he was processed for court.
Police also found with him keys of a stolen unregistered Dolphin BMW car but police disclosed that he took the car from one Samuel Abobbtey after which he went into hiding until his arrest.
In delivering his judgment, the judge noted that the accused was a character of many colours with a variety of names, insisting he was not going to be carried away by his actions.
He, for the final time, asked for the real name of the convict who pleaded for mercy since he was a first time offender but the judge would take none of that.
Habib was accordingly sentenced on his own plea and was whisked away by the police to begin his jail term.
Daily Guide�s publication on the matter, it would be recalled, led to the identification of the suspect in the Western Region and a wireless message was relayed to police in Tamale about similar nefarious activities he was involved in, in 2009.
While domiciled in Takoradi in the Western Region he was reported to have used the same modus operandi to steal a Nissan Sunny taxi with registration number WR 390-09 belonging to one Benjamin Sackey.
Police have indicated that he may be hauled before court for similar criminal charges in the future.
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