'Thief catcher' faces the law

A 45-year-old cocoa farmer, who used live electric wires to trap thieves who were stealing his cocoa beans, is now facing the law as the trap he set had electrocuted a 35-year-old farmer, instead of the intended thieves.

Yaw Nyamekye woke upon November l, 2008 to find Akugbey Ofosu, aka UB, a father of two, dead on the wired platform used for drying the beans.

According to the Oda Divisional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ben Atadana, for sometime, thieves were always stealing cocoa beans from a platform Nyamekye erected in his house to dry his cocoa beans.

He said in order to ward off the thieves, Nyamekye allegedly used live electric cables around the platform anytime he and his family were going to bed.

ACP Atadana said Nyamekye woke up from bed at dawn and realised that the deceased had been electrocuted by the live wires.

He said the scene attracted a large crowd, some of whom reported the matter to the Akyem Akroso Police.

ACP Atadana stated that the Akroso Police in turn informed their bosses at Oda who also rushed to Akroso to arrest Nyamekye to assist in investigations; they also conveyed the body to the Oda Government Hospital for autopsy.

The Divisional Commander explained that nobody had the right to engage in extra-judicial killings, adding that mob action could also lead to the lynching or murder of innocent people.

He, therefore, advised them to hand over all suspects they arrested to the police for investigations.