Suspected thief arrested for stealing five mobile phones at late Kumawu MP’s funeral

A man believed to be in his late 30s has been nabbed by police at Kumawu in the Ashanti Region for allegedly stealing five mobile phones during a church service at the final funeral rites of the late Member of Parliament for the Kumawu Constituency Hon Philip Atta Basoah.

The suspect who is yet to be identified was seen in the grip of police after he was reportedly caught red-handed picking a smartphone from one of the mourners at the funeral.

One of the victims, Mary Akuoko, who claimed to have lost two smartphones at the funeral in an interview with this reporter said she saw the suspect holding her bag while struggling in the crowd to catch a glimpse of the late MP who had been laid in state.

"I sensed something fishy about the man and so I check my bag only to discover that my two smartphones had gone missing.

"I reported to the police and pointed to the man, the police monitored his movement and later saw him stealing a phone from another person confirming my suspicion," she stated.

He was subsequently arrested and upon a search, some five phones were retrieved from him including the woman's phones.

The suspect has since been taken into police custody assisting investigations.

The late MP, Hon Philip Basoah died on March 27, 2023.

He was however laid to rest on Saturday, May, 20,2023.

Government delegation led by the Vice President of Ghana Dr Mahamudu Bawumia was at the funeral to commiserate with the family.

Other high-profile personalities from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) were also at the funeral to mourn with the family.