A circuit court in Dormaa Ahenkro in the Brong Ahafo region has remanded Mohammed Kusase, a self-styled jujuman, from Bawku, in the Upper East region, into prison custody, for defrauding a farmer at Dormaa-Ahenkro through false pretences.
Kusase pleaded guilty to the charge on his first appearance before the court and would re-appear on June 30.
Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Yeboah told the court that the accused, who claimed to be a farmer and jujuman, arrived in Dormaa-Ahenkro on June 17, this year and used part of the Dormaa-Ahenkro main lorry park as his residence.
He said two days after his arrival the complainant, a landlady, spotted him loitering around her house and confronted him over his mission in the vicinity.
Kusase said he was a jujuman and had seen gold buried under a palm tree behind the house and claimed that he could use his powers to dig it out and share the precious metal equally with her.
Chief Inspector Yeboah said before Kusase started work he drove everybody away but the landlady hid and watched him.
She then saw Kusase pull an empty Takai liquor bottle out of his pocket and after chanting some words placed it on the ground and invited the landlady to provide him with GHC41 to purchase perfume to end the ritual, as the gold was almost out.
He said as soon as he received the money, Kusase left the place under the pretext of going for the perfume, but when he delayed in returning the landlady decided to trace him to his "residence" where she found that he had bought a new travelling bag and a few personal effects and was ready to board a Bawku-bound vehicle.
The Chief Inspector said the land lady quickly caused his arrest and after investigations Kusase was charged with the offence.