SALES GIRL DUPED OF GOODS WORTH 976,000 BY FOREIGNER

A 25-year-old salesgirl, Hassanatu Abdullahi, on Monday told a Gudu Upper Area Court, Abuja, how a 70-year-old businesswoman, Mah Kamara, duped her wrapper and shoes valued N976, 000.

Abdullahi gave the account at the resumed trial of Kamara, a foreigner from Conarkry, Guinea, arraigned on a one-charge of theft.

The defendant was aided by an interpreter in French language while the case was heard in court.
Abdullahi, who was being examined by the prosecuting counsel, Kalu Ucheje, said the defendant met her at Garki International Market, Abuja, on March 12, 2015.

She said she greeted the defendant in English language and ushered the defendant into the shop.
She further said the defendant claimed that she usually supplies clothes to one female Inspector in FCDA, Abuja, and wanted some wrappers.

Abdullahi said she informed the defendant that she was new in the area and the defendant immediately went outside the shop and came back within three minutes.

"She touched my arm and told me to gather some wrappers and shoes for her and follow her to collect the money for them.

"Immediately she touched me, I did as she instructed me and arranged the wrappers in ``a Ghana must go bag’’, and put some pairs of shoes in a black leather bag,” she said.

She said the items were 15 pieces of big Hollandis, 13 pieces of small Hollandis wrappers, seven pieces of Super wax complete yards and nine Super wax in four yards each. The others were 16 pieces of N4,000 wrappers and 11 pairs of shoes.

Abdullahi said the defendant got a taxi at the gate of the market and she followed the defendant with the said items.

She added that unknown to her; the defendant had planned with the driver of the taxi because as they got to NNPC Junction, the driver parked the car to say that it was faulty.

"I came down from the taxi and suggested for us to board another taxi to save time but when I got down, the driver drove off with the defendant in front of the car.

"I shouted and cried out for help as I had been duped, then taxi drivers around the area came to my rescue and took me back to the market,” she said.

She further said she reported the matter to her boss’s sister as her boss, Margret Francis, was not around.
The boss’s sister however called Francis over the phone and instructed Abdullahi to lock the shop and go home.

Abdullahi said Francis took her to Garki Police Station to report the matter on March 13, 2015.
She said while she was in the shop, policemen from the station came to inform her that six fraudsters had been arrested.

She, however, went to the station and identified the defendant among the arrested suspects but the defendant claimed that she did not understand English language and did not know Abdullahi.

She concluded that since then, the case had been in court.

The judge, Alhaji Umar Kagarko, however adjourned the case to May 25 for continuation of hearing.