Police save suspected thief from being lynched

Koforidua, Aug. 28, GNA - Richard Kwesi Kwao, a 20-year-old driver's mate, among a gang of three, who raided a nurses quarters and made away with two standing dryers and a hand dryer at near Koforidua was nearly lynched at dawn on Wednesday. Kwao was saved by members of the Cobra Unit of the Police Service led by Chief Inspector John Dzokoto, who took him to the Eastern Regional Headquarters of the Police Service at Galloway, a suburb of Koforidua.

The gang were also said to have attempted to steal from a container shop near the Koforidua Sports Stadium that day. The police arrived at the scene, when Kwao had received severe beatings from an angry mob that caught him and was lying naked with his trousers pulled down around the legs, partially paralyzed. The instruments used in cutting through the container also laid by his side.

According to the Public Affairs Officer of the Eastern Regional Police Service, Chief Inspector Christopher Tawiah, Kwao and his other colleagues now at large first broke into the house of one Miss Vida Deborah at the nurses' quarters at about 12:30 am. He said, they followed up to the Koforidua Sports Stadium area and then cut into one of the container shops there, but while in the act, somebody saw them and raised the alarm. Chief Inspector Tawiah said they took to their heels, but were chased and Kwao was arrested and brought to the scene of the incident. He said Kwao during the beaten by the mob confessed that they were three and that they stole the dryers, which had been taken away by his accomplices.

Chief Inspector Tawiah said the suspect was brought to the police station in a bad shape and later taken to hospital adding that upon recovery, he would be processed for court. He said the police had initiated investigations into the case to get the two other members of the gang arrested. He advised the public not to take the law into their hands by attempting to discipline or beat a criminal and instead handed him to the police deal with matter. Chief Inspector Tawiah advised communities to organize meetings to know each other, collect each others telephone numbers so that they could support one another in times of distress. 28 Aug. 08