Rape-suspect dies in fire blaze

A 19-year old Atta Yaw, alias Abdulai Salifu, a student at Kumasi Academy, met his untimely death at Konongo-zongo in a fire outbreak allegedly caused by him on the September 13, this year.

According to Madam Abena Anoko, a tenant of the house, she returned from the market on that day only to hear her daughter, (name withheld) crying.

The gate was locked and she could not enter the house. She, however, managed to jump over the wall and found out that her daughter was holding her panties and crying.

The mother, not knowing what had happened, started shouting that somebody had raped her 14-year-old daughter. Atta Yaw was accused of committing the act.

Sensing danger, Atta, who was clad in two pairs of trousers and four shirts, climbed into the ceiling in his mother’s room, and crawled into the ceiling in the next room owned by Mr.

Awudu Musah to hide. Chronicle investigations revealed that the Atta Yaw was so ashamed about the alleged rape that he allegedly set fire in the room after which he crawled back into the ceiling again.

The fire burnt all the items in the room and then spread to ceiling, burning Atta Yaw, as he could not escape because the door had been locked and the owner of the room was not in the house at that time.

Items destroyed by the fire include foam mattress, two video decks, TV set, 20 bed clothes, four table top deep freezers, fridge; a set of furniture, four radio speakers, tape recorder and other personal belongings.

People broke into the room only to find that Atta Yaw was lying on the floor burnt up, wearing double trousers and shirts.

According to an eyewitness, the student was rushed to the Konongo-Odumasi Hospital and was referred to Agogo Hospital, where he died later.