No ballot boxes snatched in Ashanti - Police

Police in the Ashanti Region have denied reports of ballot box snatching in the region.

There were reports early Friday that some unscrupulous persons had attempted to take ballot boxes at some polling stations.

At least one person was beaten by a mob near the Kwame Nkrumah of University of Science and Technology on suspicion that he had attempted to steal a ballot box.

However, speaking to Joy News Public Relations Officer at the Ashanti Regional Police Command, ASP Mohammed Yussif Tanko no ballot box had been stolen.

“We have such situations at different places where people allege that a ballot box has been picked, we went down to the place and there was nothing like that. And I can tell you nobody attempted to pick a ballot box from the Ashanti Region and no ballot box has been picked as we speak,” he

In the case of the assaulted man, ASP Tanko indicated that “he came and said he didn’t understand why a particular polling station agent who belonged to his party was sitting far away from the place where the election was taking place and he suspected he (polling agent) had been instructed by the presiding officer to move from the particular location. So he insisted that the guy comes back and then some of the people pounced on him as attempting to pick a ballot box.”

“There were lots of allegations that came out about people picking ballot boxes but we went down to the polling stations and followed up on each of the allegations made and we spoke to the presiding officers and other officials including our men and there was nothing like that. Not even an attempted to snatch a ballot box,” he said.

The yet-to-be-identified man was escorted away with his badly torn shirt soaked in blood.

Media-spawned hoax

ASP Tanko said most of the reports were generated by Kumasi-based Ash FM. The station is said to have been temporarily taken off air over the development, he said.

“There were even going on to incite their supporters to visit mayhem on innocent people.”