The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) at the Northern Regional Police Command has taken over the investigations into an alleged rape case involving a policeman on peacekeeping operation at Bunkpurugu in the North East Region and a student.

The Northern Regional Coordinator of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Emmanuel Holortu disclosed. 

He explained that any case involving a policeman is referred to the CID for further investigation.

He said a complaint about the rape was lodged at DOVSSU by the victim who was in the company of some family members on Monday, April 15, 2019 but “since it involves police personnel, it has been referred to the crime office for further investigations.”

The policeman currently on a peacekeeping operation at Bunkpurugu is alleged to have raped the 20-year-old final year student of the Bunkpurugu Senior High School (SHS).

The suspect, [name withheld], according to the victim, took pictures of her nakedness after the act and circulated them on social media.

Suspect

The police officer is said to have denied the allegations and explained that he used to be in a relationship with the victim but it ended about a year ago and that he had no knowledge of all the allegations levelled against him.

He explained the circumstances surrounding the allegation and said, “last year she came to the police station one day and appeared drunk and laid on a wall so myself and some friends managed to send the victim to her place of abode and left, so I don’t know what happened later on when we left”.

“I am currently on leave but I have received a call from my superiors about the case and I will be going to give my side of the story, some people in the community are behind this and I will like the investigators to track on social media and from the telecommunication networks to prove the person who actually sent the pictures,” he added.

Some of the nude pictures of the victim on social media show the victim lying down naked, and ostensibly looking unconscious with both legs widely opened.

Some substances suspected to be semen is smeared around her private part and on the bed.

Victim

According to the victim, she fell ill and went to the hospital and was given some drugs that made her weak and the policeman who was her ex-boyfriend entered her room and allegedly committed the act.

She explained that because she was unconscious after taking the drugs, the officer took advantage of her state and allegedly committed the act without her approval.

“I was going to market the next day and the policeman showed me the nude pictures and asked me why I was sleeping like that and I asked him to delete the pictures else I will report him to my father, so he deleted them in front of me but when the pictures went viral on social media I realised that was myself”, she said.

“When I woke up I realised that something happened to me because I was wet but I didn’t find anyone around so I was surprised, it was when he showed me the naked pictures that I realised that someone entered my room and did something to me” she further explained.

On how the pictures went viral, she said the suspect allegedly forwarded the pictures to her best friends and other people in the community who later drew her families’ attention to the incident.

She indicated that “a lot of people have seen the pictures in the town and I can’t even concentrate in school for my examination, at times I will be learning and someone will call me and ask why I allowed myself for that to happen to me”

The father of the victim also corroborated her claims and called for justice to prevail.

According to him, his daughter who was writing this year`s West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) cannot live in the community and concentrate on the examination because of the stigma.

“She last run into the bush because of the stigma so I had to bring her home and sent her to a pastor for counseling, all we need is that authorities should expedite action on the incident and let justice to prevail” he stated.