TWO men armed with a machete and metal bar held two students of Ho Technical University, in Ho, in the Volta Region, hostage in their hostel rooms, robbed them of their cellular phones and other belongings, before raping them, a police enquiry has heard.
The men forced the students to disclose their mobile money transfer PINs to them.
After that, they proceeded to a mobile money merchant at 4am to withdraw GH₵ 80 from one of the phones, and that led to the arrest of one of the suspects, Emmanuel Courage Banitsi, 22, a resident of Ho-Hliha.
The other suspect, Prince Adu, is now at large.
The Ho Municipal Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Anthony Danso, told the Ghanaian Times in Ho, yesterday that the terrifying incident took place at about 2am on October 12 in the hostel block close to the university.
According to him, the men warned their victims not shout to attract the attention of other students at the hostel or else they would kill them.
It was after a report was made to the police that the mobile money merchant who knew Banitsi sought the assistance of other members of the public to arrest and hand him over to the police, six days after the incident.
DSP Danso said that the mobile money merchant trapped the suspect with a woman who asked Banitsi to accompany her to a drinking spot for fun.
Unknown to the suspect, friends of the woman and the mobile money merchant had laid ambush near the spot.
As soon as the woman and the suspect arrived at the spot in the taxi, which he had chattered, the men who had laid ambush overpowered Banitsi.
The suspect was said to have struggled with the men ferociously in an attempt to escape, but his captors pointed daggers at him and warned him to remain calm and accompany them to the police station.
Banitsi, a Senior High School (SHS) dropout, in his caution statement at the Ho Central Police Station, admitted the offences, saying he raped one of the students while Adu raped the other.
The suspect, who claimed to be cellular phone repairer, further said that out of the GH₵80 which they withdrew from the stolen phone, he was given GH₵35 in addition to the Tecno phone, which he swapped with a portion of marijuana from “someone”.
DSP Danso commended the mobile money merchant and other members of the public for assisting the police in the arrest of Banitsi.
“We appreciate these forms of support and tip-offs on criminals from the public,” the municipal police commander said.
At the time of filing this report, Banitsi was being processed for court on charges of robbery and rape.
FROM ALBERTO MARIO NORETTI, HO
