Police save suspected motorbike thief from mob attack

Correspondence from Upper East

• A suspected thief was arrested by a mob for attempting to steal a motorbike at a spare parts dealership shop

• A police patrol team nearby saved the suspect from being lynched

• The suspect is said to be on admission at a hospital receiving treatment

Police in the Navrongo municipality of the Upper East Region on Saturday, June 26, 2021, saved a suspected motorbike thief from the hands of an angry mob.

The suspected thief, whose identity is not known, was apprehended by some youth in the town after a failed attempt to steal a motorbike from a Nigerian motor spare parts dealership shop.

An eyewitness who spoke to GhanaWeb’s Senyalah Castro said the thief tried unlocking one of several motorbikes near the shop but was caught in the process by the owner.

The thief said to be a native of Chuchuliga in the Builsa South District, took to his heels but was apprehended by some youth who gave him severe beatings, almost to the point of death.

A team of Police officers patrolling the area on motorbikes upon a tipoff however arrived at the scene to save him.

The Police team managed to whisk the suspect away to the Navrongo Police station where arrangements were made to seek medical attention for him. He will later assist the Police with investigations.

“The thief was caught here when he tried to steal a motorbike from the Nigerian’s spare parts shop over there. He came and tried to open the lock of one of the bikes but one of the guys saw him and alerted the others. He tried to run away but was chased. The people took him behind the new market area but I don’t know if they have killed him because the police came and took him to the station.” An eyewitness told our Reporter.

Three suspected cattle thieves lynched last week

The mob attack on the suspected thief comes barely a week after three suspected cattle thieves were lynched in Biu also in the Navrongo area.

The three suspected thieves were arrested by residents for allegedly stealing some cattle and lynched before their body were torched. A police report said the bodies of the suspects were burnt beyond recognition when the police arrived at the scene.

The names of the suspects were given as Peter Ayeleguni, 40, and Emmanuel Sewor, 28. The third suspect said to be a Fulani could not be identified.

The bodies of the suspects have since been deposited at the morgue of the War Memorial Hospital for preservation, while Police launch an investigation to bring the persons behind the attack to book, the Police report added.

Police foil robbery attack in Bolgatanga

In a related development, the Upper East Regional Police Emergency Team on Saturday, June 26, foiled an attempt by two suspected robbers to snatch a motorbike from its owner at gunpoint.

The Police team was dispatched to the robbery scene near the OA Bus Terminal on the Navrongo-Bolgatanga road in Bolgatanga after receiving a distress call informing the Police of the attack.

The caller said two men on an unregistered motorbike suspected to be robbers wielding a pistol and knife had attacked and were trying to snatch a motorbike from its owner.

A Police statement said the robbers upon seeing the Police team bolted on a waiting motorbike but were pursued and one was eventually overpowered and arrested. The other pillion rider managed to jump off the motorbike and escaped.

One locally manufactured pistol with one live AA cartridge and another live AA cartridge were retrieved when a search was conducted on the suspect. A knife was also retrieved after further searches on the unregistered motorbike.

The identity of one of the suspects has been given as Salifu Mohammed, 24. Police say he has been taken to a health facility where he is responding to treatment under tight security.

The Regional Police Command is urging the public to partner and corporate with the Police through information sharing to arrest suspects and prevent criminal activities in the region. The Police Command assures residents of ready robust Police posture in the region to fight crime.

The Police has begun investigations into the attack.