Mr George Kojo Agbelengo, Relax Hotel Manager on Monday testified in the case in which six police officers and five other people are jointly charged for allegedly robbing a businessman of money and belongings at an Accra Circuit Court.
Relax Court Hotel located at Dworwulu in Accra is where the incident took place on February 2, 2009.
The accused are Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Patrick Kwapong, Chief Inspector Thomas Adu, Sergeant John Adjapong, Corporal Lawrence Dennis Quansah, Lance Corporal Karim Muntari and Constable Benjamin Blejumah.
The rest are Aams Amanor, Kwasi Tawiah, Peter Kwame Gyasi aka Kwame Tawiah and Bismark Ampofo.
They allegedly robbed Mr Kweku Duah of 53,000 dollars, 800 Euros and GH¢2,000 at his hotel room.
Apart from DSP Kwapong, charged with robbery, the rest are charged with conspiracy and robbery.
They all pleaded not guilty and remanded into custody.
Led in evidence by Ms Cynthia Lamptey, Chief State Attorney, Mr Abelengo told the court that he knew Mr Duah checked in as a guest at the hotel.
He said on February 2, this year he reported to work at about 0800 and 39 minutes after his arrival he saw two vehicles, a Toyota Corolla and red Mercedes Benz, enter the hotel premises.
The second prosecution witness said on board the Toyota Corolla were three policemen, all in uniform, and two of them approached him saying they were looking for a friend lodging at room 205.
Witness said when he checked he found that room 205 was vacant and informed them.
Mr Abelengo said the policemen whom he cannot identify made calls on their respective phones and mentioned 109 as where their friend was lodging.
"When I checked the room number, it was Mr Duah who was occupying that room, so I called him on phone and informed him that some policemen were there to see him," witness said.
He said before he could hand over the phone to them to talk to Mr Duah, they rushed to the hotel room.
Witness said he became worried at the manner the policemen rushed into the room therefore, he followed because as a hotel manager he would be held responsible if any thing should happen to his guest.
Mr Abelengo said the red Mercedes Benz also had four occupants. One of them, was dressed in military uniform, another in a white overall, a police uniform and the other in plain clothes.
Witness said he could only identify Chief Inspector Thomas Adu who was among the occupants.
He said two out of the four stood at the entrance of the hotel and in no time he saw Mr Duah emerged from behind the building.
"Chief Inspector Adu who saw Mr Duah rushed on him and started beating him, while two others broke into his room."
Witness said Mr Duah begun to bleed from his nose and ears and sustained bruises on his face.
"While Mr Duah tried to free himself, one of them tried to remove an envelope from his pocket. I therefore decided to find out who those people were, their mission and where they were coming from but they declined."
Mr Abelengo said the police pushed Mr Duah into the Mercedes Benz.
"In no time his friend Aams Amanor arrived at the hotel but four minutes later, the two cars sped off."
He said he narrated the incident to Aams who informed him that he was suspicious about the people who arrested his friend hence went to call "genuine policemen".
Mr Abelengo said Aams told him that he had called his friend to drop his money through the window that he (Aams) was going to pick them up but he (Mr Duah) refused.
Witness said he was worried about Mr Duah's case but his friend Aams indicated to him that "they were going to beat him, take his money and that nothing was going to happen to him".
Soon after the incident, witness said he together with Mr Duah's brother and a colleague called Amuzu went to Mr Duah's room and saw that the door had been vandalized and his room ransacked.
The hotel manager said Mr Duah, however, returned in the night saying he was not safe and checked out.
Answering questions under cross-examination by Mr Charles Puozuing, counsel for Sergeant Adjapong, Mr Ablengo failed to identify Sergeant Adjapong saying he could not make him out.
Witness said the hotel's records indicated that Mr Duah checked in on February 1, 2009 adding that Mr Duah did not declare his valuables as required by the management of the hotel.
He told the court that it was the first time that Mr Duah had checked in at the hotel.
Witness mentioned Mr Kweku Frimpong, Francis Felix Amuzu and Emmanuel Amuzu as some of the staff who witnessed the incident.
Witness, however, could not tell who was on duty at the hotel's front desk.
When asked the kind of action he took after the incident, he said he was waiting to see what would happen before taking steps, if any.
When Mr Shabib Mohammed, counsel for Lance Corporal Muntari, quizzed him on the whereabouts of his client on the day of the incident, witness said he saw Muntari but failed to identify him in court.
The facts are that Aams Amanor had been known to Mr Duah when they were in Switzerland.
Sometime last year, Mr Duah told Amanor he wanted to come to Ghana to buy gold and Amanor opted to assist him.
Mr Duah arrived in Ghana on February 1 and checked into Relax Court Hotel at Dworwulu and got in touch with Amanor who briefed him about the supposed suppliers of the gold.
On February 2 at about 2200 hours, Amanor and Jeffery, now at large, who was armed with a pistol, accompanied by Gyasi, and a Nigerian now at large, went to the hotel room of Mr Duah under the pretext of transacting the gold business.
The said business was to take place between the complainant and Jeffery.
Before the meeting, Jeffery and the Nigerian had arranged with Amanor, who had also instructed Chief Inspector Adu, Sergeant Adjapong, Corporal Quansah and the soldier, who is at large, to go to the hotel.
When they got to the hotel, they met Lance Corporal Muntari, Constable Acheampong and Constable Blejuamah.
They broke into Mr Duah's room and Jeffery pulled out a pistol on Mr Duah who they beat until he started bleeding from the nose.
The attackers later searched Mr Duah and took away two envelopes containing 53,000 dollars, 800 Euros and GH¢2,000.
They also ransacked Mr Duah's room and took away a black bag containing two walkman CD players, a digital camera valued at 4,000 dollars; two bunches of keys and a Standard Chartered Bank cheque book.
The accused persons arrested the complainant and later abandoned him at Tema.
Hearing continues on May 21.