Legon PRESEC Students In Robbery

…*Locked Up Victim In Deep Freezer*

*By Kingsley Mawuli Dogbey*

A final year student of the Presbyterian Boys Secondary School Legon,( PRESEC), is in police custody after raiding the “ACP One Stop Supermarket’’ near the African Concrete Products Ltd (ACP) Estates in Pokuase, with another student in broad-daylight and attempted to steal provisions valued over GH¢160.

The two teenage students, Patrick Tweneboah Kodua and Razak Busare; all General Art students of one the nation’s respected schools, had stormed the supermarket, threw the shopkeeper in a deep freezer after beating him into a state of unconsciousness and attempted to ransack items in the store, when their victim regained consciousness and shouted for help.

In the process, Patrick Tweneboah Kodua was apprehended and handed over to the Pokuase Police but Razak Busare managed to flee and has since been on the run.

Narrating his ordeal to The Herald, the victim, Yao Anane, 30, said he was called on the phone at about 4.30pm on June 29, 2010 by his colleague the storekeeper to come and take over while she attend to some personal needs.

“Apparently, the two young men had come to shop and I was to attend to them while she went home,” he said.

According to him, the two students picked so many items amounting to about GH¢160 but could not pay, and Patrick started making phone calls to a supposed uncle whom he (Patrick) said also lives in the ACP Estates to bring him money for them to pay for the items.

After the pretentious call, the victim said, Patrick told him they had to return some of the items since the uncle had complained that the cost was too much for him to bear hence, they have to reduce the cost.

A few minutes later, he said, Patrick made another call and told him (the victim) that his uncle was stuck in traffic so they will have to wait for him till he comes.

“By this time, I became upset with the whole drama and so when they requested to add more items to what they have already bought without paying, I refused and before I could realize, Patrick held me by the neck for Razak to land hefty blows on my face and other parts”, he said.

The two students then bundled the now-unconscious victim into a deep freezer in the store.

Some few minutes later the victim somehow regained consciousness in the freezer and started screaming and forcing the deep freezer open when a passerby heard him and raised the alarm, and the two dashed out of the store in an attempt to flee but luck eluded Patrick and he was arrested by ACP Estate security personnel with help of some people in the neighborhood.

During the melee, the day’s sales, estimated over GH¢82 and an amount of GH¢350 on the victim to repair his car, got missing in the process.

Meanwhile, the Pokuase Police have confirmed the incident but insist they are still investigating the case and would soon arraign Patrick Tweneboah Kodua before court while attempts are being made to arrest Razak.

A combined investigation by the Pokuase and the ACP Estate security personnel has confirmed the young men to be students of PRESEC Legon.

It later emerged that one Mrs. Oduro, a resident of the estate is an aunt of Patrick. She denied having any knowledge of her nephew’s visit to the estate.

The Estates Manager, Mr. Okaijah Welbeck , has also confirmed the incident to The Herald saying, ‘‘l don’t know what I would have said in my capacity as the Estates Manager should Patrick and Razak had succeeded in killing Yao’’.

He added that a few hours to the incident, he saw lads in front of the shop watching a television but did not suspect any foul play as they look so innocent to him.

The Amasaman District Police Commander, DSP Isaac Kwadwo Asante, also confirmed the incident but refused to give further comments. He said investigations had just begun into the case, and said he was not in the position to give details on the matter.