A suspected thief has met his untimely death in Ghana after being lynched by angry residents of a farming community, creating another worrying trend of mob justice in the West African country.
The suspect, Kweku Attah, who had been identified by community members as a serial thief, was caught stealing electrical cables in the early hours of Sunday, July 2 at Oboutumpan, in the Suhum Municipality of the Eastern Region.
The unknown vigilantes who caught him subjected him to severe beatings before amputating his wrist. He bled profusely before passing out at the centre of the town, where his body was covered with leaves.
Personnel from the Koforidua Central Police Station, who were informed about the incident, retrieved the suspect’s body to aid with their investigations.
According to Citi News report, Some community members complained bitterly about how thieves had been terrorizing residents. They called on the Ghana Police Service to intensify visibility and also provide the community with a police post.
Meanwhile, the Assemblyman for Nyamekrom Electoral Area, Nana Boaheng Enoch, who described the recent activities of thieves as a nuisance, urged community members not to take the law into their own hands but rather hand over criminals to the police.
“For a couple of months, there has been a rise in robbery incidents in the town,” he said. “This morning, I had a call that a suspected thief had been killed, and so I rushed there. To my dismay, it was true.
“I am worried about the reported cases of robbery in the town, and I advise the youth to desist from such acts to prevent these kinds of unfortunate incidents. I also advise the youth that anytime they catch a thief, they should allow the law to deal with them rather than killing them.”
