A suspected car snatcher has been arrested by the Police in the Eastern Region for allegedly poisoning a drink for a taxi driver in an attempt to run away with his car.
The suspect, Evans Ahenful, 31, hired the taxi with registration number GG 2729-21 and allegedly gave the driver a drink laced with an unknown substance last Friday around 5:30 pm in Koforidua.
The suspect attempted to cross the main Koforidua-Accra checkpoint at Tinkong Barrier but he was intercepted based on intelligence gathered by the end.
The Public Relations Officer of the Eastern Regional Police Command DSP Ebenezer Tetteh, who confirmed the incident said the driver began reacting showing signs of weakness, slurring among others.
He explained that the suspect took the driver to St. Joseph’s Hospital for treatment but while the victim was on admission at the ward, the suspect attempted to run away with the taxi cab but was noticed by a vigilant security man on duty who became suspicious and reported the incident to the Effiduase District Police.
He said, “the security man who saw the said suspect having brought the driver to the hospital on the same day saw the suspect driving the taxi out of the facility without the victim”.
He added that “The victim who was at the ward was later brought to the police station at Effiduase with bruises on his body having allegedly been subjected to beating and given a malt drink suspected to have been laced”.
DSP Ebenezer Tetteh said, “because the driver was slurring among others. Police was unable to get meaningful information from him as a result of his condition”.
He said, “Based on few information that was received, intelligence was passed through various checkpoints in Koforidua Municipality and on the same day the driver pullout at the checkpoint attempted to cross to Accra with the said taxi cab”.
The Police, are hoping that the victim recovers to provide more information to help police Investigation to facilitate prosecution.
BY Daniel Bampoe