Police to continue search for Castro
The concerns of many Ghanaians over the fate of hip-life musician, Theophilus Tagoe, popularly known as Castro, were dealt a terrible blow yesterday when the police failed to
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confirm whether or not he was dead or alive.
The police, however, indicated that they would continue with their search until he was found, dead or alive.
Expectations were high among many Ghanaians following media publications that the police would announce the outcome of their investigations into the disappearance of the
musician and his lady friend at a press conference in Accra yesterday.
However, journalists who attended the press conference, which lasted less than an hour, left wondering if the hip-life artist and his lady friend could possibly be alive or dead.
Still searching
Speaking at the press conference, the Director General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Commissioner of Police Mr Prosper Kwame
Agblor, said “the search is still going on and for now the two are declared missing, in accordance with the Evidence Decree”.
Section 33 of the Evidence Act of 1975 stipulates that a person can only be declared legally dead after seven years by a court, where the person in question has not been seen or
heard from, despite diligent and persistent efforts to find him.
Lawyer Ampaw
Mr Agblor announced that the police intended to invite a lawyer, Dr Maurice Ampaw, who was reported to have said in a radio interview that Castro was still alive.
Dr Ampaw was said to have also challenged the police to arrest Black Stars’ Captain, Asamoah Gyan.
Some other persons whose identities are not immediately known but are said to have made certain comments on the disappearance of Castro and his girlfriend in the media are also
to be questioned by the police.
When a journalist wanted to know if Asamoah Gyan and some of his friends would be invited, as requested by some personalities, Mr Agblor said, “They are assisting us in our
investigations. If there is the need to arrest them, we will not hesitate.”
He advised journalists and the public to channel enquiries and information regarding the incident to the police.
“All persons who have any information to offer should contact the police through the Public Affairs Directorate at the Police Headquarters or the Public Affairs units in the various
regions,” he said.
So far, the CID Director General said, some witnesses, including Asamoah Gyan’s 16 friends and family relations, had been contacted and statements obtained from them.
Marine Engineers, in their forensic examination report, he said, had indicated that “the general condition of the jet ski regarding the disappearance of Castro and Janet is very good”.
“We are also in contact with neighbouring countries through Interpol to alert us anytime unknown people who answer to the descriptions of Castro and Janet are found within their
borders,” he said.
What the police found
The 32-year-old musician Bandu, 24, were reported missing on July 6, 2014 while they were jet skiing on the Volta River at Aqua Safari, a beach resort at Ada in the Greater Accra
Region.
The police said their investigations established that a vacation trip had been organised by Mr Samuel Anim Addo, the Chief Executive Officer of Gyan Investments, the Asamoah
Gyan Foundation, Baby Jet Promotions and Mama Vits Investments.
According to Mr Agblor, on July 4, 2014, Mr Addo, together with 16 others, comprising family relations and friends, had lodged at the Aqua Safari Beach Resort at Agorkope.
On July 5, 2014, the group relocated to the Peace Holiday Resort at Solikope.
He said the police learnt that about 11:30 a.m. on July 6, 2014, Castro went back to the management of Aqua Safari to rent a jet ski for cruising for 30 minutes.
He said aside from the jet ski being fitted with a tracking device, Castro was also provided with a Type C buoyancy suit (life jacket) and he cruised to the Peace Holiday Resort where
he picked Bandu.
The lady was without a life jacket and they were said to have cruised towards the Tsarleykope Beach Resort.
Yet after one hour when Castro failed to return the jet ski, the management of Aqua Safari decided to monitor the movement of the jet ski and the tracker indicated that the vessel
was no longer in motion.
A search party later found the jet ski floating on the river near the estuary at Azizinya without Castro or Bandu.
Castro’s life jacket
A complaint was subsequently lodged with the police, after the jet ski was handed over to the management of the resort.
Following the complaint, a joint rescue team, comprising the Marine Police, the Ghana Navy and the Ghana Air Force, used patrol boats and a helicopter to search for the missing
persons in vain.
The Tema Marine Police Operations Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police Mr Foster Komla Kotoku, said the rescue team only did a surface search and could not deploy
submarine vessels.
He said a Type A life jacket would have kept the body of Castro, who was rather wearing a Type C suit, for at least three days.
The type C is a device intended to be worn by a person in a racing cockpit where the wearer is restrained in the cockpit and other supplemental life support systems requiring life
jacket accommodation are present.
Mr Kotoku explained that life jackets were designed for particular purposes, depending on the vessel and the water body one uses.
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