Police explain “Castro found in Togo” drama

The Ghana Police Service is investigating the circumstances under which a restricted police wireless message indicating that hip-life musician, Castro, has been found alive and on admission at a hospital in Togo, was leaked to the public.

Castro was reported to have drowned in the Volta River on July 6.

The Acting Director of the Police Public Affairs, DSP Cephas Arthur, in an interview with NEWS-ONE on Wednesday evening said the wireless message was not meant for public consumption and that whoever leaked it acted unprofessionally.

He would however not state categorically whether Castro had been found at the said hospital or not: “It is not as if Castro has been found or not been found. It is a lead we had and we are working on it. What we are doing now is to work on the lead and also investigate how the restricted police wireless message leaked.”

“We issued an internal communication and this was not for public communication. We are only clarifying because it has come out to the public. The restricted internal communication was sent to the Regional Commander in the Volta Region to follow up on the hint we have heard because they are nearer to Togo. Unfortunately someone leaked it to the public and caused some rumour mongering,” Cephas Arthur added.

In a separate interview with Sammi Anim Addo, Asamoah Gyan’s manager, he said, “We were praying it would be true so we were ready to move to Togo immediately when we were told to hold on and that some further checks had to be done. But we first believed it and were excited,” Mr. Addo explained.

The police wireless message was categorical that the name of the person on admission at the said Togo hospital was “Theophilus Tagoe aka Castro”.

It however did not make mention of Janet Bandu’s whereabouts.

Though it did not state how Castro got to the hospital, it sparked speculations that he was found by a Good Samaritan at Lome, while lying hapless and half dead on the Lome beach after he was supposedly washed ashore.

The report also generated mixed feelings because a section of the Ghanaian public has expressed doubts about the authenticity of entire episode, describing it as publicity stunt.