THE Western regional Command of the Ghana Police Service (GPS) has taken over investigations into circumstances that led to a brutal assault on three Serial Callers who have allegiance to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Takoradi, by suspected National Democratic Congress (NDC) thugs.

The thugs, who assaulted the serial callers, were reported to have been led by one Muhammad Anaba, an NDC activist and Chairman of the Takoradi Butchers Association. The regional Crime Officer, Mr. Vincent C. Agbenyato confirmed in a telephone interview that the said Muhammed Anaba had been arrested and granted bail.

According to the Crime Officer, investigations were still ongoing to arrest all those who were involved in the alleged assault. The regional executives of NPP, led by its Chairman, Nana Owusu-Ankomah, according to the Crime Officer have also lodged a formal complaint with the Police over the incident. Last week Wednesday, Muhammed Anaba reportedly engaged one of the NPP Serial Callers by name -Kofi Adu, in a fierce argument which ended on a bitter note, with the latter ordering scores of NDC thugs to assault him.

Kofi Adu, who confirmed the story in an interview with The Chronicle, added that when the gentleman in question came to his Second-hand clothing shop, he engaged him in an argument to the effect that second hand cloth sellers who are perceived to be sympathizers of the NPP would be moved out from their shops at the Market Circle.

According to the victim, he introduced himself to his attacker as an NPP sympathizer and a serial caller, which infuriated Anaba who gave him a hefty slap. He sustained various degrees of injuries and as a result reported the matter to the Takoradi market Circle Police, where he was given a medical report to go to the hospital.

On the following day, according to Kofi Adu, scores of NDC thugs, numbering about thirty, led by Muhammed Anaba besieged his shop but they did not find him. They then poured their venom on some of his colleague serial callers at his shop, and subjected them to severe beatings.

The other two serial callers, Kwame Takyi (Adas) and Abeiku, who were victims of the alleged NDC assault also confirmed how they were beaten by the thugs on the orders of Anaba. Asked by this reporter how they got to know that the thugs were NDC activists, they replied that some of them were wearing NDC 'T' shirts.

When Anaba was contacted by this reporter on telephone, he denied the accusation. According to him, it was rather the NPP serial Callers led by Kofi Adu at the market circle that attempted to assault him.

As a result, when his boys (butchers) heard of the attempted assault on him, they (boys) came to the place in their numbers to retaliate, but he stopped them.

Therefore, he was surprised that the NPP serial callers twisted the facts and rather reported to the police that he and his boys had assaulted them. Anaba also confirmed to this paper that he was arrested by the police and has been granted police enquiry bail.