Teen miner jailed 10 years for stealing equipment

The Tarkwa Circuit Court has sentenced 18-year-old small-scale miner Mohammed Razak to 10 years in prison with hard labour for stealing mining equipment valued at GH¢11,990.

Razak, who had previously been jailed for a similar crime, confessed to stealing equipment from Thomas Tetteh, a small-scale miner from Wassa Japa.

Tetteh had temporarily stopped mining due to a water shortage and stored his equipment on-site.

The stolen items included a Changfa diesel engine, a pumping machine, and a crusher. Despite Razak's claim of selling the items to a scrap dealer, the equipment was not recovered.