24 Arrested for molesting, stripping naked suspected female thief
Twenty four people have been arrested by the police in Kumasi over the case in which a young woman accused of stealing was stripped naked and beaten by a mob in the Ashanti Regional capital.
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As of press time yesterday, the suspects were in the custody of the police undergoing screening to determine their involvement in the case.
The woman was stripped naked in broad daylight in the central business area of Kumasi, with some of the male attackers hitting her genitals with their feet.
Arrest
Confirming the arrest to the Daily Graphic, the Kumasi Central Divisional Crime Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr Henry Agbeve, said following the widespread circulation of the video on the assault on social media, the police launched an investigation into the matter.
He said prior to the arrest, the police had gone to the area where the alleged stealing was said to have taken place but no one owned up to having suffered any act of theft.
Consequently, he said, the police conducted a swoop at the area where the assault took place and arrested 24 suspects.
He said one suspect whose face was identified in the video and who the police believed could be of assistance was currently on the run.
Medical form
Mr Agbeve said although the incident occurred on February 8, 2017, the police did not have any information that it happened in the region.
According to him, on the said date a taxi driver had sent one Blessing Akudo, a Nigerian woman believed to be the victim of the assault, to the police station with bruises on her body.
He said the lady was issued with a police medical form to attend hospital for treatment and report back to the police.
However, he said, the lady had since not returned to the police station.
Social media
According to Mr Agbeve, it was about three days later that the police saw the video on social media and was able to link it to the lady, leading to the activation of investigations into the matter.
He said even though the police had not received any formal complaint, it was conducting its own investigations.
Background
A video about a suspected lady thief who was stripped naked by a mob, with some of them hitting her lower abdomen with their feet, went viral on social media last week.
In the said video, some men were seen stripping the lady and preventing others from protecting and giving her a cloth to cover her nakedness.
She was made to lay on the floor, while her legs were spread wide to expose her private parts.
The act has been condemned by many groups and individuals, including the women’s wing of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who has called on the Gender Minister to take the issue up and ensure that the culprits are brought to book.
