By: Audrey Raymonda John
Two businessmen, Abdul Jabba Mansaray and Joseph Bellon, on Monday made another appearance before Magistrate John Manso Fornah at Pademba Road Magistrate Court No. 2 in Freetown in connection with the alleged theft of a Vivid IQ Echo Machine valued at US$37,100.
The accused are facing five counts, including conspiracy, larceny, obtaining money by false pretences, and receiving stolen goods, contrary to the provisions of the Larceny Act, 1916.
According to the charge sheet, on 13 January 2026, at No. 3 Bathurst Street, Freetown, the first accused, Abdul Jabba Mansaray, allegedly conspired with persons unknown to commit larceny. On the same date and at the same location, he is accused of stealing a Vivid IQ Echo Machine valued at US$37,100, the property of Professor Dr. James Russell.
The third and fourth counts allege that on 28 and 29 January 2026, Mansaray, with intent to defraud, obtained Le2,500 from Fatmata Jullet Nicolls and Le1,015 from George Russell through Orange Money by falsely claiming that the money was required to transport and deliver the medical machine, knowing that representation to be false.
The fifth count alleges that between 13 and 28 January 2026, at Kossoh Town, Freetown, the second accused, Joseph Bellon, dishonestly received the Vivid IQ Echo Machine from Mansaray, knowing it to be stolen property belonging to Professor Dr. James Russell.
Testifying as Prosecution Witness No. 5 (PW5), Detective Constable Ibrahim Sorie Kamara (18291), a Cyber Systems Analyst attached to the Cyber Laboratory of the Scientific Support Unit at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, explained that his duties include examining electronic devices and extracting digital evidence.
Led in evidence by the prosecution, Kamara told the court that on 2 February 2026, the Cyber Laboratory received a request from Detective Superintendent P.K.S. Mark Milla, Head of Operations at CID Headquarters, seeking subscriber information, call records, site locations, and IMEI traces for three telephone numbers. The request was produced and admitted into evidence.
The witness further stated that the Cyber Laboratory subsequently wrote to Orange Sierra Leone, requesting Know Your Customer (KYC) information, IMEI records, and site location data relating to the telephone numbers under investigation. The request dated 6 February 2026, and Orange Sierra Leone’s response of the same date were both produced and tendered before the court.
According to Kamara, investigators analysed the information received and extracted the relevant IMEI numbers. A second request was later sent to Orange Sierra Leone on 23 February 2026, seeking details of all SIM cards linked to those IMEI numbers. The company responded on 2 March 2026, and both the request and response were admitted into evidence.
The analysis identified four Africell SIM cards linked to the devices, two of which were traced to Moyamba District.
Kamara testified that on 24 March 2026, he travelled to Moyamba with members of the investigation team, assisted by officers of the Moyamba Police, to trace the subscribers using the identified telephone numbers.
During the operation, investigators arrested Madam Fudia, the mother of the first accused’s girlfriend, along with Idrissa Turay. An iTel Power 900 mobile phone was recovered from Turay.
The witness said Madam Fudia later informed investigators that the phone had been given to her by her daughter, Princess Gassema, who is the girlfriend of the first accused. She also stated that she did not know her daughter’s address in Freetown.
Kamara further testified that investigators instructed Madam Fudia to contact her daughter and inform her that food items had been sent from Moyamba to Freetown through a driver. Posing as the driver, Kamara spoke with Princess Gassema, who directed him to meet her at Rogbengba Junction.
The investigation team proceeded to the location where Princess Gassema was arrested. During questioning, she identified the telephone number allegedly used by the first accused, whom she confirmed was her boyfriend.
The witness said investigators then instructed Princess Gassema to contact Mansaray. Using information obtained during the operation, the team tracked and arrested the first accused at his residence in Hill Station.
Kamara told the court that Mansaray allegedly resisted arrest and, during the struggle, damaged the screen of his Samsung Galaxy A15 mobile phone. He was also found in possession of an Africell feature phone.
Photographs of the accused and his residence were taken during the operation. The witness stated that investigators later compared those photographs with images recovered from the Samsung phone and confirmed they depicted the same location. The photographs were produced and admitted into evidence as Exhibits X1 and X2.
According to Kamara, forensic examination of the Samsung Galaxy A15 revealed photographs of the stolen Vivid IQ Echo Machine, which investigators allege had been shared by the first accused with Prosecution Witness No. 1. The witness also testified that the telephone number belonging to the second accused appeared several times in the first accused’s phone records.
The Samsung Galaxy A15 and the Africell feature phone were produced and admitted into evidence as Exhibits Y, AA.1, and BB.