In Shock! Josephine Panyin Mensah
The 28-year-old heavily pregnant woman, who was reportedly kidnapped last Thursday in Takoradi in the Western Region, has been found but without her baby.
Josephine Panyin Mensah, was said to be pregnant and by the time they found her in Axim in the Nzema East Municipality, which is approximately 59.9 km, translating into some one hour 30 minutes drive from the regional capital where she was kidnapped, there was no baby with her even though she had delivered.
Information from Axim indicated that the lady who is a twin herself, was found in a state of blankness at a place called Axim Bankyim.
According to DAILY GUIDE checks, the woman who before being kidnapped was nine months pregnant and was almost in labour, was found near the Jehovah Witness Church building at Axim where she was believed to have been dumped there by her captors.
According to the source, the woman who looked traumatised and could not speak, wrote on a sheet of paper that she gave birth at an unknown place and further wrote that the kidnapers took her newly-born baby away.
How She Was Found
The source told DAILY GUIDE that a carpenter who operates from opposite the Jehovah Witness Church building saw the fair in complexion woman smeared with clay, crossing the road at about 8am yesterday.
The carpenter mistook her for a mentally ill person but later some of his apprentices saw her near some flowers around the church building shivering, so they decided to get closer to her to find out what was wrong with her.
According to the source, when the carpenter and his boys crossed the road and went to the woman, she started crying but could not speak.
“So the woman made a sign to indicate they should give her a sheet of paper and a pen. When she was given, she wrote her name ‘Josephine Panyin Mensah’ and the telephone number of her pastor,” the eye witness narrated.
When the pastor was called and they described the woman to him, he confirmed that, that was the missing person they have been looking for.
The source continued that after the news broke in the Axim area, someone who is a friend of the husband of the missing woman brought the picture which was used in the announcement to help find the lady, and when it was displayed to the woman, she signaled that she was the same person.
The husband’s friend subsequently called the husband and broke the news to him. So the pastor, the husband and some relatives quickly travelled from Takoradi to Axim to ascertain the facts.
They first went to the Axim police station and later to the Axim Government Hospital where the woman is currently placed on admission for treatment.
Baby Taken Away
The woman is also reported to have written that she gave birth to a baby at the location where the kidnappers took her, and said the hoodlums took her baby away.
As at the time of filing the report, the police in the region were yet to confirm the identity of the said lady.
Residents in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis went into jubilation when the news that the lady had been found safe, but were disappointed that her baby was not with her.
Initial Incident
According to reports, the pregnant woman went on a morning walk from the Amanoo road to the Paa Grant Roundabout in Takoradi on Thursday as part of her routine exercise, however, she did not return home, sparking fears that she might have been kidnapped.
Paul Simon, husband of the missing woman during the weekend said he received calls from someone suspected to have kidnapped his wife, demanding ransom and subsequently reported the matter to the police in the Western Region for them to trace his wife.
Photos of the victim were widely shared on online portals as part of efforts to help locate her and the anxiety heightened when the supposed kidnappers reportedly contacted the pregnant woman’s family.
The husband had said his wife was staying with her mother due to her situation, and has been doing routine walk every morning.
He said on Thursday, at about 11 am, his mother-in-law received a call from someone claiming to have kidnapped the pregnant woman and demanded ransom before he could release her daughter.
Mr. Simon had said the demand from the suspects prompted them to quickly report the case to the Takoradi police.
The police later confirmed the report and said they are working hard to locate the pregnant woman, and called on the public to volunteer information.
The Takoradi Metropolis was in recent past rocked by the kidnapping and subsequent killings of four girls by some Nigerians who were subsequently sentenced to death by a court.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi