The deceased
A man believed to be in his thirties has been lynched by an angry mob at Kotwi in the Atwima Kwanwoma District of the Ashanti Region after being accused of stealing a mobile phone from a shop.
According to reports, the incident occurred at about 3pm on Monday, May 5, when the suspect went to a shop and stole the phone from a woman.
However, distressed shouts from the woman attracted people to the scene after he had attempted to flee.
The deceased, according to reports, is not known in the area but might have been a member of a group of individuals that have been terrorising people in the area.
Eyewitness reports disclosed that the man was apprehended and subjected to severe beatings by the mob, leading to his death before the police from Trede arrived.
In a telephone interview with the Assembly Member of Kotwi Twenease Electoral Area, John Justice Ankomah said some traders in the area alerted him about the incident.
“I swiftly called the police to intervene, but when they arrived at the scene, the tragic event had already occurred with the mob nowhere to be found,” he said.
The body has since been transported to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) for preservation, while police at Brofoyedru, under whose jurisdiction the incident happened, have already launched an investigation to track down those responsible for the attack.
The Assembly Member for the area condemned the act of mob justice, and urged the residents to report suspected crimes to the appropriate authorities instead of taking the law into their own hands.
He also appealed to the security agencies in the area to beef up security, disclosing that there was a similar crime in the area before this incident.
However, the suspect in the other incident managed to escape from the angry youth.
FROM David Afum, Kumasi