The management of West Hills Mall in Accra has given its account of incidents leading to the death of a 32-year-old man, Shadrach Arloo, at the facility.
The deceased, who is the brother of popular gospel musician, Perpetual Didier, was allegedly beaten by a policeman when he went to buy items at the mall on Monday.
Upon arrival, the yet-to-be-identified policeman stationed there demanded to search the bag containing the money, eyewitness accounts have suggested.
A statement, signed by the Assistant Asset Manager, Olympio Agbodza, confirmed this sequence of events.
This, according to them, was because the policeman suspected the young man of possessing drugs or banned substances.
“West Hills Mall’s 24-hour security surveillance system captured footage of the officer apprehending the young man, as well as another man who accompanied him, as they headed for the main entrance of the mall,” part of the statement read.
The statement indicated in an attempt to handcuff the young man, a struggle ensued but the deceased stopped struggling and appeared unwell after that.
“The Police subsequently removed the cuffs from his hands, and Mall Security arranged for transportation for him to be taken to the medical facility on-site. Sadly, he was pronounced dead by Medics upon arrival,” the statement added.
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The body, they noted, was retrieved by the Weija District Police.
Expressing condolences to the bereaved family, the management said they were shocked by the ill-fated incident and trusted that the Police would handle the matter further.
Below is the full statement:
PRESS STATEMENT
Incident at West Hills Mall on Monday, January 30, 2023
The Management of West Hills Mall hereby confirms that an incident occurred on its premises in the afternoon of Monday, January 30, 2023, which unfortunately resulted in a fatality.
By eyewitness and mall security personnel accounts, at approximately 3:15 pm on January 30, 2023, a visitor was confronted by a Police Officer and asked to present his bag for examination.
The Police Officer ostensibly suspected the customer, a young man between 25 and 30 years, of possessing drugs or banned substances.
The accounts indicate that the young man hesitated, removed something from his bag and swallowed it as the policeman approached him.
West Hills Mall’s 24-hour security surveillance system captured footage of the officer apprehending the young man, as well as another man who accompanied him, as they headed for the main entrance of the mall.
In an attempt to handcuff the young man, a struggle between the parties ensued while the Police Officer tried to handcuff him.
He was eventually handcuffed but stopped struggling and appeared unwell after that.
The Police subsequently removed the cuffs from his hands, and Mall Security arranged for transportation for him to be taken to the medical facility on-site. Sadly, he was pronounced dead by Medics upon arrival.
The Weija District Police have since retrieved the body of the deceased.
The Management of West Hills Mall is shocked by this ill-fated incident. We convey our sincerest condolences to the deceased’s family as we trust that the Police will handle the matter further.
Thank You.
Olympio Agbodza
Assistant Asset Manager,
West Africa Asset Management