Suspect dies in police custody; residents accuse police of beating him to death

Tempers are rising at Breman Asikuma in the Central Region of Ghana following the death of a suspected narcotic drug peddler in police custody.

Residents are angry and have threatened to assault police officers following the death of the suspect who was arrested together with some two others at dawn Friday.

According to an eyewitness account, the police carried out an operation in some ‘ghettos, arrested three suspects and allegedly assaulted one of them, a situation the eyewitness said caused the death of the suspect.

Rainbow Radio’s Nana Yaw Asare speaking with some of the residents stated that the police arrested three people through the operation where one person was allegedly beaten to death.

According to the eye witness, the victim before passing on vomited blood as a result of the beating by the Breman Asikuma police.

The situation has caused a chaotic situation between residents and the police at Breman Asikuma police station, he narrated.

However, the Commander for the station, Chief Superintendent Emmanuel Donkor Baah, disputed the claims of an assault on the suspect (deceased).

He confirmed the arrest of the three suspects over the peddling and smoking of narcotic drug (marijuana) during the police swoop.

He disclosed that the police did not assault any of the suspects as speculated. Rather, the suspect who died complained of being sick and was then rushed to the Esikuma Hospital where he passed on.

The Chief Inspector said an autopsy was yet to be done to establish the cause of death.

He gave the names of the suspects as Abotsi Omaru, 18, Kwesi Anim, 33 and Kwaku Botwe (deceased) but the family told the police he was known as Kwabena Beka, 40.