Police arrest woman for performing unlawful abortions

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has launched a full-scale investigation into the activities of the woman alleged to be parading herself as a medical doctor and conducting illegal abortions at Pokuase Mayera, near Accra.

The suspect, Gladys Kotey, 49, was first arrested by the Pokuase Police and later handed over to the CID Headquarters.Her arrest followed a report made by one Charlotte Fiagbor that the suspect had been carrying out illegal abortions on unsuspecting women for a fee of GH¢150.

Gladys, who told the police that she was a traditional birth attendant and cleaner at the Ga West Municipal Assembly, had been granted a police enquiry bail but will report herself at the CID Headquarters tomorrow for further investigations.
A number of assorted medicines, syringes and a pair of scissors found in her room after the arrest have been sent to the Ghana Standards Authority for examination.

Victims

A number of women in the Pokuase Mayera area are believed to have fallen victim to her activities.
The police are, therefore, appealing to anybody who is a victim of her activities to come forward and assist the police in their investigations.

According to the Public Relations Officer of the CID, ASP Joseph Benefo Darkwa, information reaching the police indicated that a cleaner with the Ga West Municipal Assembly had become an ‘abortion specialist,’ terminating pregnancies for girls at Pokuase Mayera.
He said the suspect went round the neighbourhood claiming to be an abortion specialist, with the explanation that she had learnt the trade from health workers she observed at the Amasaman Government Hospital.

Uncompleted building

ASP Darkwa said the police learnt that Gladys operated from a single room in an uncompleted building in the area where she injected the victims with a mixture of medicines for a fee of GH¢150.

The injection caused severe damage to their foetuses, resulting in bleeding.
Gladys was arrested in the uncompleted building following the complaint by Charlotte, about 3 p.m. on Thursday, June 25, 2015.
Following interrogations, she claimed to be a family planning officer and produced a certificate to substantiate her claim.
But a careful scrutiny revealed that the certificate had been given to her after attending a two-day training workshop on family planning.