The deceased was attached to the Tesano Police Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) but had his official accommodation at the Legon Police barracks.
The circumstances leading to the commission of the crime were not immediately known at the time of filing this report.
Personnel of the unit and Inspector Owusu’s neighbours at the Legon Police barracks made a number of conjectures about what prompted him to take his own life.
When the Commanding Officer of the MTTU, ACP Awuni Angwubutoge, was reached yesterday soon after news broke about the suicide, he confirmed it and said he invited the deceased recently when he had a problem with a vehicle owner.
According to the Commanding Officer, the said vehicle owner had earlier petitioned him about a misunderstanding between him and the deceased.
The vehicle owner’s petition had to do with an impounded vehicle by the deceased.
ACP Awuni said, “The deceased had demanded an amount of GH¢70 to organize a towing vehicle to tow the impounded vehicle. This is in order, given the shortage of such vehicles in the Service. The services of private towing vehicles are engaged when the need arises.”
The vehicle owner said the deceased asked for another GH¢100 “and so when the petition came to me, I asked the two persons to meet me so we could discuss the matter,” ACP Awuni added.
He said when the two appeared before him, he asked them to go and resolve the matter among themselves. “I asked them to return to me, should they be unable to resolve the issue. The next thing I heard was that the man had committed suicide,” he said.
ACP Awuni added that the vehicle owner complained that some parts of his vehicle were missing.
The remains of the deceased have been moved to the Police Hospital morgue for autopsy as investigations continue.
A source at the Tesano Divisional MTTU said the deceased reported for duty on Thursday and appeared okay.
While the source described the deceased as a rather quiet and unassuming person and wondered what might have triggered the act, another person at the barracks said he was a victim of depression.
The suicide of the Inspector reminded many about a similar fate which befell a Techiman MTTU Commander, ASP Mohammed Iddrisu, last month.
ASP Mohammed Iddrisu allegedly committed suicide in his kitchen at Takofiano in Techiman after being transferred to the place only last year.
He took his life after his pregnant wife sent their four kids to school.
When she returned and could neither find her husband nor the key to their room, she went to the MTTU office to find out whether he was there, only to gather that he had not turned up as at 9am.
A policeman accompanied her to the house and upon reaching the location, he broke the door and found the remains of the police officer hanging.
The pregnant woman collapsed at the sight of the corpse of her husband and was rushed to the Holy Family Hospital, Techiman.
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