Family accuses police of killing suspect in custody at Kasoa

The Kasoa Divisional Police Command has been accused of killing a 23-year-old man who was in custody after he was arrested in connection with Kasoa Big Man Town Robbery.

According to the family, the deceased Gordon Okai was innocent and therefore called on the Inspector-General of Police to investigate the death thoroughly.

Godfred Okai, affectionately called Junior by relatives and also known as “Why Worry” was being held by police as a suspect in a recent robbery occurrence.

In the afternoon of December 20, 2022, a mobile money vendor was shot by three armed robbers and an undisclosed amount of money was taken away by the robbers who were on a motorbike at Kasoa Big man Town.

Family members of the deceased say, police broke into his room during the night of Dec 23 to arrest him but failed to disclose which particular police station they took him to.

They say, police officers kept directing them to the wrong stations including the headquarters where he was being kept and even though they followed up at all those stations, Junior could not be seen.

A police team, however, reached out to them on Tuesday, Dec 27, 2022, and invited them to the Kasoa Divisional Police Command where they were informed that Godfred had fallen ill and died whilst in custody.

The mother of the victim Anna Dugan believed that he might have died as a result of brutality.

She accuses police of severely brutalizing the deceased at the point of arrest.

The Family said, they won’t accept the body unless a thorough investigation has been done since the Suspect is innocent of the allegations leveled against him.

When contacted, Kasoa Divisional Commander Chief Supt. Charles Koosonu referred this reporter to the Central East Regional Commander ACP David Eklu. Efforts to reach him at the time of filing this report were unsuccessful.

The body of the deceased has been deposited at the Police Mortuary for autopsy and Preservation while investigation is ongoing.

It would be recalled that Kasapa News Yaw Boagyan, about a fortnight ago reported that, three armed robbers had shot a mobile money vendor leaving him in critical condition, and took away an undisclosed amount

Their pictures were however captured by CCTV cameras fixed at a hotel near the crime scene.