Investigations are underway to unravel how a 34-year-old man was mysteriously killed on Good Friday at Akroso in the Eastern Region.

The aeronautic engineer, Prince Kwabena Kumi, was on his way to surprise his mother during the Easter holidays when the police in Akroso seized his vehicle. They alleged he was driving under the influence of alcohol. 

Sister of the deceased, Abena Osei Debrah, told Joy News her brother was prevented three times from boarding a commercial vehicle to his destination. His body was later found in a ditch.

In an interview with Joy News’ Maxwell Agbagba, Abena Debrah said she suspects foul play.

According to her, she called him but his phone had been switched off only to be called later that the deceased’s car had been sighted at the Akroso police station.

Abena Debrah said true to what the caller said, they found the car “with some goods he had bought for his mother, his phone and other belongings intact.”

“Everything was on him…his wallet, he also had money in the car itself that was parked at the police station. He was still wearing his jewellery, his shoes and clothes were all intact when I found him,” she added.

The angry lady said when they asked the police about his whereabouts, they were told, “when he got here [Akroso] he was drunk so we arrested him, took custody of the car and let him go.”

A farmer who had heard the gong-gong announcing and a search and rescue mission by the villagers informed them that he had seen a body in a ditch by the roadside.

“We got there and he was dead about five minutes’ drive from our mother’s house. A girl who sells oranges by the roadside said ‘after they took his car I was trying to get him into a public transport three times because I also come from the Asuboa, but the police prevented me from doing so’”, Abena added.

She said the police threatened the driver with arrest if he takes Mr Kumi onboard his vehicle.

According to her, although they found “a lot of wounds [cuts] on the body” the family is waiting for a postmortem to proceed. 

Stating the side of the police, the PRO of the Eastern Regional Police Command, ASP Ebenezer Tetteh, confirmed Abena Debrah’s story that the deceased was intercepted after “dangerous driving.”

“The standard practice is that when you intercept a vehicle, you subject the person to alcohol test to establish if the person is within the limit. We detain the person until he is sober.

“From there you take a statement from the person, after which you either process the person for court or grant him bail for investigations to go on,” he said.

He said his office is yet to get the side of the police and investigations into the behaviour of the police.