Josephine Panyin Mensah
The imaginary heavily-pregnant woman who claimed she was kidnapped and her baby taken away after delivery, is in hot waters.
It is turning out that she faked the whole pregnancy and kidnapping story but the motive behind what is looking like a criminal action is still unclear.
The police released a statement exposing her, saying all their preliminary findings are showing that Josephine Panyin Mensah, who claimed to be 28 years and nine months pregnant, was never pregnant and was not kidnapped after all.
The initial story was that when she was found at Bankyim in Axim in the Nzema East Municipality on Tuesday, she could not talk and was only giving signs and issuing written instructions but per the police statement, she has been talking during the interrogation and may not be dumb as earlier claimed.
Three others who were deeply involved in the whole bizarre story, according to the police, have been nabbed and together with the woman, are now suspects under investigations.
Police Statement
A police statement signed by ACP Kwesi Ofori, acting Director-General, Public Affairs of the Ghana Police Service had said “the Police in Takoradi in the Western Region can confirm the reappearance of one Josephine Panyin Mensah. On 21st September, 2021 at about 0930 hours when she reappeared, she was immediately sent to the Axim Government Hospital for medical attention. We also informed the family in line with our procedures. Since her disappearance, over 40 Police officers were specifically assigned to track the whereabouts of the victim and the family was given regular updates on Police operations regarding this issue.”
The statement said “these Police operations with the associated investigations were carried out on a 24-hour basis and we want to commend the officers who have been working on the case for the commitment, including the sleepless nights they endured.”
The police said so far they have been able to make some preliminary findings saying “the police is heavily relying on medical experts who have examined her. Their findings are that Josephine Panyin Mensah was never pregnant within the period under review following thorough medical examination by the medical doctors at the Axim Government Hospital.”
No Antenatal
“The victim, now a suspect, during interrogation mentioned the European Hospital in Takoradi as the hospital for her antenatal reviews and assessment. Medical records at the facility suggest that the lady visited the hospital without pregnancy somewhere in October last year,” the statement said, adding “investigations also suggest the suspect may have conspired with other persons over her possible planned disappearance. Three people have so far been arrested for further questioning on possible conspiracy charges.”
The statement assured that “police would like to inform members of the public that adequate measures are in place to ensure she is safe as we continue our investigations. More worrying is the fact that for a number of years, the Regional Command has recorded several false kidnapping cases where people conspire to create ‘self-kidnapping’ incidents to make money out of ransoms,” adding “A team with support from the National Headquarters has been put together to quell this emerging crime in the Western Region.”
Key Suspects
When DAILY GUIDE contacted the family members of the victim at Amoono Road in Takoradi, Emmanuel Arko, who is the brother of the lady’s husband, confirmed that the husband, Michael Simons, as well as the mother of the ‘victim’, popularly called Aunty Aggie, and the pastor whom the victim asked to see when she was found in Axim, were those arrested.
The family members were still incensed that the police are saying that the lady was not pregnant and even invoked curses on whoever is saying their daughter was not pregnant, including the minister and the police.
According to sources, the husband was arrested and was made to write a statement and has since been granted bail.
More Checks
DAILY GUIDE’s investigation is showing that Josephine Panyin Mensah and her husband, Paul Simons, live in an area called Columbia in Takoradi.
She reportedly moved to stay with her mother at Amoono Road in Takoradi when her supposed pregnancy became heavy and was preparing to ‘deliver’.
The residents who claimed the lady was a tenant at Amomoo Road and insisted she was pregnant had said on Wednesday afternoon that the couple had a three-year-old boy but never gave out his name or whereabouts. They rather showed a picture of the lady and a little boy they claimed was the child of the couple.
When DAILY GUIDE returned to Amamoo Road yesterday in the wake of the statement issued by the police, the tenants were still angry that the police are saying the lady was not pregnant and that the kidnapping incident was a scam.
Asked about the whereabouts of the couple’s child, the tenants said he was in school, but did not know the school the little boy was attending.
Also, Mr. Arko in previous interviews had indicated that the couple had a three-year-old boy and that they were looking forward to a second baby when the ‘kidnapping’ incident happened.
However, when DAILY GUIDE demanded to see the little boy yesterday, Mr. Arko indicated the boy had gone to school. When asked which school the boy was attending he said, “In fact I don’t know.”
Minister’s Bombshell
It was the Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, who first gave a hint that the preliminary security briefings were not supporting the pregnancy claim.
He had said initial reports from doctors at the Axim Hospital, where the supposed victim was admitted when she was found on Tuesday after getting ‘missing’ in Takoradi, showed she was not pregnant.
The medical report was said to have been produced by Dr. Jerry Attobrah of the Axim Government Hospital where the victim was admitted.
Speaking to Kumasi-based Kessben FM, the Regional Minister had indicated that the report from the doctor threw so much doubt about what the husband of the victim told the police when the woman reportedly went missing.
“The information the doctor gave was that the woman doesn’t seem to be somebody who was pregnant in the first place and all the signs and symptoms don’t show anybody who had given birth in the last few days,” the Regional Minister said.
He added that, “I received a call from NIB yesterday that she had been found and was at the Axim Hospital. According to the police, they suspect that the story was fake per their preliminary investigations. The medical doctor who attended to her even suspects that she may not have been pregnant, as has been reported. They are even surprised at how this story has gone so far. This is the immediate information I have. Nevertheless, the police are still with her and are conducting further investigations.”
Political Agenda
Elements of the opposition NDC sent the issue into the political arena and started saying the government was behind the whole ‘kidnapping’ saga and even attacked the Regional Minister who first spoke on the matter by releasing contrary information per his security briefings in the unfolding narrative.
Immediately the lady was reported to have been ‘found’, one of the surrogates who is claiming to lead the FixTheCountry campaign posted on social media that he suspects the government is involved and it was being done as part of the grand scheme to scuttle their demonstration that was ongoing in Takoradi on Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day.
“When we went to Takoradi, a lot of people told us that this story was planted to misdirect media attention from our demonstration. They said the woman will be found on the day of the demonstration as a way of again refocusing media attention away from the Tarkoradi demo,” he said, adding “I said that was hogwash. I said there is no way our politics can be that sinister. We are better than that.”
He then added “to be perfectly honest, I am a bit baffled that people’s predictions came to pass to the T (sic). She was found on the same day of the demo; and now it turns out she was never pregnant. But I still insist that this whole thing is a coincidence and that Ghanaians have just become too cynical. Things are bad in Ghana, but they can’t be that bad. The woman looks visibly shaken! I hope she gets the care she needs. I encourage the Ghana Police who have a hard-won reputation to give the family justice and arrest the perpetrators.”
NDC Antics
Immediately the Regional Minister disclosed that the security briefings he had was not in sync with what the victim-turned-suspect was churning out, NDC elements in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis castigated the minister, who doubles as the Takoradi MP, for allegedly telling lies.
Some NDC activist in the metropolis, particularly the failed NDC candidate for Essikado-Ketan, Dr. Grace Ayensu Danquah, a member of the now defunct NDC Covid-19 propaganda team, wadded into the matter and described the statement from the minister as unfortunate.
She attacked the minister as if she had the capacity to issue that statement, saying “It is unfortunate that before these investigations have been concluded certain government officials are issuing conflicting information. This is very disheartening and rather unfortunate.”
“Knowing the previous history and background of the botched missing Takoradi Girls where the entire people of Western Region were given conflicting and confusing information from officials who should know better, the Regional Minister’s hasty statement(If true) is rather unfortunate and insensitive,” she added.
Axim Appearance
A carpenter who operates from opposite the Jehovah Witness church building saw the woman smeared with clay, crossing the road at about 8am on Tuesday after she had gone ‘missing’ in Takoradi on Thursday September 16.
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.
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 eyewitness 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.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi