Trader takes police officer to CHRAJ for extortion

Atebubu, Feb 09, GNA - Mr Yaw Owusu, a 32-year-old cassette dealer at the Central Market at Atebubu, has petitioned the Commission On Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) against a police officer at Mampong-Ashanti police station for allegedly extorting 500,000 cedis from him.

Mr Vasco Kwadwo Nyamekye, the Atebubu District Director of the Commission, told Ghana News Agency that Owusu said in his petition that on January 13, he travelled to Kumasi and bought CD cassettes, including a pornographic one.

On reaching Kyereframso barrier, near Mampong, the police stopped the vehicle he was travelling on and on seeing the pornographic cassettes marched him to the Mampong divisional crime officer. He alleged that the police office took 500,000 cedis from him for possessing the pornographic cassette.

The petitioner said he did not take kindly to the police officer's behaviour, which he saw as an infringement on his rights and was tantamount to corruption.

Mr Nyamekye said the petitioner was seeking redress from the commission for the retrieval of the money and also wanted action to be taken against the police personnel at Mampong.

Mr Nyamekye said he has written to the Mampong police for explanation within 10 days about the alleged collection of money and extortion.