Suspects Emmanuel Afriyie and Margret Abora after their arrest
POLICE IN Kumasi have arrested four people in connection with the death of 37-year-old Naomi Opoku who was said to have been raped after becoming drunk.
The suspects are Emmanuel Afriyie, 36, Margaret Abora, 60, and two other minors whose names are withheld.
The victim, a plantain chips seller resident at Kenyasi-Brofoyeduru in the Kwabre East Municipality of the Ashanti Region, allegedly went on an alcohol binge last Friday at a drinking spot at Buokrom, according to police.
In a press release signed by the Public Relations Officer of the Ashanti Regional Police Command, ASP Godwin Ahianyo, the police said the victim was rendered unconscious after she had downed several tots of “akpeteshie”, a local dry gin, at suspect Margaret Abora’s drinking spot at about 5:30 pm.
The statement added that Madam Abora asked the two juveniles who happened to be her grandsons to carry the victim to a room ostensibly to let Naomi relax and regain consciousness.
ASP Ahianyo’s statement disclosed that Emmanuel Afriyie, who was at the bar, saw the victim being carried into the room. He later sneaked into the room where the victim was sleeping to sexually assault her, taking advantage of her condition.
It added that Emmanuel was caught red-handed by the two juveniles, who did nothing to stop him.
Margaret, the police said, was subsequently informed about the incident, but failed to report it and left the victim to her fate until she was found dead the following day.
The statement said the 60-year-old woman conspired with her grandsons to dump the body of Naomi Opoku on the street – about 100 metres away from the drinking spot.
The Buokrom police, who got wind of the episode, on December 31, 2018, arrested the four suspects, including the alleged rapist, over the woman’s death.
All the four, the police indicated, are in custody assisting with investigations, while an autopsy is being carried out to determine the actual cause of Naomi’s death.
From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi