A seven-year-old boy has led to the arrest of a suspected kidnapper at Essumaja in the Bekwai Municipality in the Ashanti Region.
Suspect Michael Adomako, 23, had tied four children, whose ages ranged from three to seven, on trees in a cemetery at Essumaja, and he was allegedly about to use them for rituals.
However, one of the kidnapped kids, said to be seven years old, mustered courage and escaped from the weedy cemetery and reported the case to his parents.
The assemblyman and unit committee members of Essumaja were then informed so the community invaded the cemetery and rescued the remaining three children.
Kofi Frimpong, the assemblyman of the area, said the kidnapper absconded upon seeing the rescuers, but they eventually managed to arrest him and alerted the police.
The assemblyman, in a recorded audio, said the incident happened on January 31, 2021, noting that the braveness of the seven-year-old boy prevented possible human rituals.
According to him, the search team saw some strange items in the cemetery that clearly gave a strong indication that the kidnapper, perhaps, wanted to use the kids for rituals.
Mr. Frimpong said Mr. Adomako was handed over to the police, who after investigations, sent him to court and was remanded.
He said the four kids, including three siblings and another one, who are all natives of Essumaja, have reunited with their parents and they were now in good health.
Meanwhile, a police report has confirmed the kidnapping incident and stated that the suspect was in police custody, as the case was being probed further by police.
“Police gathered that suspect was hiding in the forest at the cemetery. On receipt of the information, police proceeded to the Essumeja Cemetery where the assembly man and committee members of Essumeja were met, who corroborated the information,” it stated.
The report added that Adomako, upon setting his eyes on the search team that had invaded the cemetery, took to his heels but luck eluded him as he was overpowered.
“Police together with the committee members conducted a search in the forest during which a young man aged about 23 years was seen running away on seeing the search party. He was chased and arrested by the team.
“Victims, aged between three to seven years, identified the suspect as their kidnapper to the police. The suspect also admitted taking the victims to the forest,” the police report disclosed.
“A search conducted at where the suspect kept the victims revealed some charms with feathers and some bloodstains,” the report said, adding that “victims also showed police a tree where the suspect tied them to.”
