Krofrom clashes: 3 Cops, community police assistants released

The three policemen and two community police assistants who were detained by the police over the death of a 27-year-old resident of Krofrom in Kumasi, Richmond Osei, alias Tawiah, have been released by the Ashanti Regional Police Command.

This followed the autopsy report conducted on the deceased ,which attributed the death to natural causes.

The suspects

Following media reports that the personnel who arrested Osei tortured him leading to his death, the Ashanti Regional Command ordered their arrest and detention.

They are Ayiba Ibrahim and Abubakar Fuseini, both from the Community Policing Unit; Inspector Emmanuel Ayiigah, Corporal Rhoda Ayama and Corporal Benjamin Tetteh.

A source at the Ashanti Regional Police Command confirmed to the Daily Graphic that the suspects, who had been in detention since last week, were released pending further investigations.

The source said since the autopsy report exonerated the police of any wrongdoing, there was no need to keep the suspects in custody.

Autopsy

The autopsy report, which was signed by Dr Osei Sampene, a pathologist with the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, gave the causes of death as congestive heart failure and biventricular cardiac dilation.

Background

Tawiah died last Friday after some policemen  who were said to be chasing suspected armed robbers mistook him for an armed robber and beat him up.

Eyewitnesses said Tawiah had left his bag behind a house and went to the public toilet only to be arrested by the police.

The police were said to have handcuffed and beaten him up while his family members looked on since his house was close to where the incident happened.  

He was alleged to have been pushed to the ground as a result of which he sustained head injuries.