Two police personnel have been arrested by the Accra Regional Police Command for brutally assaulting a victim while robbing him of $55,000.
Lance Corporal Richard Osei, 30, attached to the Accra Regional Police CID and Lance Corporal Joseph Clottey, 33, also attached to the Striking Force Division, allegedly attacked one Muntari Adams, the victim, at the industrial area, handcuffed him and applied pepper spray into his eyes before robbing him.
Not satisfied, the suspects allegedly took GHc 1,000 and two mobile phones belonging to the victim, kidnapped him and held him for some hours before finally damping him at a drinking spot behind the Police Headquarters.
The suspects are now in the custody of the police awaiting trial.
Briefing the media, ACP Timothy Yoosa Bongo, the Deputy Accra Regional Police Commander, said the two police officers connived with one suspect Asante to rob the victim.
ACP Timothy Yoosa Bongo said the victim claimed to have met the said Dr Asante at the Korle-Gonno Beach in Accra sometime in August 2013. Dr Asante, currently on the run, introduced himself to the victim as a businessman who travels a lot.
The victim, the police officer continued, exchanged contacts with the said Dr. Asante and so on September 9, 2013, he (Asante) called the victim on phone to help him (Asante) change his money, which was in cedis, into dollars for his pending business trip that same day.
ACP Bongo continued that Asante told the victim that he was at the industrial area meeting some business partners and so he could not visit the nearest forex bureau to change the money.
He therefore insisted that the victim look for an amount of $70,000 dollars for him in exchange for the cedis. Adams managed to gather $55,000 dollars and proceeded to meet the suspect at the industrial area.
While they were counting the dollars beside the car of Asante, Lance Corporal Osei and Clottey emerged and caused their arrest. The two police personnel, one in uniform, brutally assaulted the victim and sprayed some pepper into his eyes before handcuffing him.
The police personnel charged them for money laundering and dealing in drugs, but later left Dr Asante, according to the Deputy Accra Regional Police Commander.
They then took the victim to the Accra Regional Police Headquarters but refused to enter the yard and drove to the Nima Police Station.
The suspects left the victim in the taxi still in handcuffs, while Lance Corporal Osei briefly entered the station and returned. They finally took the victim to a drinking spot just behind the National Police Headquarters.
Adams later reported the matter to the Accra Central police for investigations. On November 6, 2013, Adams, the victim, spotted Lance Corporal Richard Osei but he managed to escape from Adams.
Based on police intelligence, the two suspects were grabbed on March 3, 2014 by the Regional Police Command. The suspects, Lance Corporals Richard Osei and Joseph Clottey have since confessed to the act and would soon be sent to court for prosecution.