Phone Snatcher Thrown Into Odaw River

By Stephen Kwabena Effah
Tuesday, 25 July 2006 (Page 3)

AN unidentified man in his late 20s was yesterday morning beaten, stripped and thrown into the Odaw stream by a mob at Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra for allegedly snatching a mobile phone.

He was left in the water for about an hour before being rescued by three people who took him to the nearby Neoplan Station police post.

The one who allegedly threw him into the river was also arrested by the police.

The duty officer at the police post, Lance Corporal Geoffrey Ayernor, confirmed the arrest of the two people when the Times contacted him but declined to comment, saying ‘it is above me to give information. I will brief my boss when he is in for him to brief you."

However, an eyewitness told the Times that the suspected thief was arrested by the mob around the Awudome cemetery for snatching a lady’s mobile phone.

While being taken to the police station, he was stripped and beaten and on reaching the Odaw drainage just behind the police post at Circle, a member of the mob pushed him into the water.

The incident attracted a large crowd most of whom craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the suspect who had covered his face with his hands, apparently to avoid being identified.

Vehicular and pedestrian movement on the usually busy Odaw bridge became more difficult as people shoved their way through to catch a glimpse of him.