Two arrested for stealing corpse at Tarkwa

Two men who allegedly stole the dead body of an old man at the Tarkwa Municipal hospital mortuary have been granted bail in the sum of GHC30,000 each with two sureties by the Tarkwa circuit court.

The accused persons, John Asante, 37, a mortuary attendant at the Tarkwa municipal hospital and Seth Owusu, 48, fridge mechanic at Atonsu-Bokro, a suburb of Kumasi and the third suspect Efo Kwesi is on the run.

They pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit crime and stealing.

The Prosecutor, Chief Inspector Faustina Celestina Anaman, told the court, presided over by Mr. Emmanuel Bart-Plange Brew, that the complainant, John Kofi Tenge is a resident farmer at Wassa Tintinum, near Aboso.

She said on May 22, last year, the complainant’s father, John Kwaku Tenge, aged 112, passed away and the family members deposited his body at the Tarkwa Municipal hospital’s mortuary for preservation.

According to the trusty records, Inspector Anaman said, the body was given C-217 as its identification number and the complainant paid regular visit at the mortuary to check on his late father’s body.

The Prosecutor said on November 22, the complainant saw his late father’s body and paid all the bills incurred for it to be prepared and buried on November 25.

Chief Inspector Anaman added on November 24 at 1300 hours, the complainant and other family members went to the mortuary to retrieve the deceased body but it was missing.

She said authorities of the hospital were informed immediately and a search was conducted at the mortuary but the body was not found.

Chief Inspector Anaman said the complainant and hospital authorities reported the case at the Tarkwa police station on the same day and the police proceeded to the morgue with both parties but the missing body was still not available.

She said that the police then arrested John and five of his colleagues who were workers at the same hospital’s morgue for questioning.

During interrogation, the Prosecutor said John admitted the offense and mentioned Seth and Efo as his accomplices.

According to Chief Inspector Anaman, John claimed on November 15, 2017, Seth promised to give him an ambulance if he provides an old or elderly man’s body.

She said John further noted that on November 24 at 2:30 am the accused person and his accomplice sent a man with a blue-black Pick-Up to collect the body for them.

Chief Inspector Anaman said Seth was arrested on November 28 at Asafo market in Kumasi and brought to Tarkwa police station to assist in investigations.

She said that the second accused has since denied the offense and the suspect who is at large, is yet to be arrested.