The town of Apedwa near Kyebi in the East Akim Municipality of the Eastern Region was thrown into a state of shock when a 25-year-old senior high school leaver, Eric Bekoe, kidnapped three girls aged between two-and-half and four years into his room, bit off their lips and defiled them with his fingers. The three kids who were all in critical condition, have been sent to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra after doctors of the Kyebi Government Hospital realized the seriousness of their cases. A police source who corroborated DAILY GUIDE's investigations said the kids (names withheld) all lived in the same neighbourhood of Tema, a suburb of Apedwa. According to the source, on Saturday morning, the three girls were sent to buy porridge, and while on their way, Eric Bekoe who lived about 150 metres from the victims' house, saw them, lured them into his room. It was around 8:00 a.m. and many of the residents of the quiet neighbourhood who were farmers had left for their various farms. The shrill cries of the children did not attract any help until a neighbour who saw the children in the company of Eric, heard their continuous cries from his room and quickly raised an alarm. When the door to Eric Bekoe's room was forced open, they saw the kids with mutilated lips and profusely bleeding from their mouths and their private parts. One of the girls had the front part of her tongue bitten off by the suspect with her mouth completely covered with blood. Eric was arrested and sent to the Apedwa Police Station and later, the Suhum district police office. The regional commander, DOP Kwabena Gyamera-Yeboah, who confirmed the incident to DAILY GUIDE, said the police had reports that Eric Bekoe was mentally deranged but in his caution statement he was consistent and coherent in his narration of events and admitted the offence. According to the police commander, Eric Bekoe would be made to face the full rigours of the law.