One more person has been picked up concerning the ritual murder of a student nurse in Mankessim.
The identity of the suspect is yet to be made public.
So far, three suspects have been arrested over the death of Georgina Asor Botchwey, who was allegedly kidnapped, killed and secretly buried by a chief and pastor in the chief’s house at Mankessim.
The victim, 25, is said to have gone for an interview at the Ankaful Nursing Training College when the pastor, who happens to be her sister’s boyfriend, invited her for a meeting.
After the interview, the victim set off to meet her soon‐to‐be brother‐in‐law. Little did she know a trap had been set before she arrived in Cape Coast on September 8, 2022.
The self-styled pastor had conspired with the chief, the Tufuhene of Ekumfi Akwakrom, to kidnap and sexually assault her.
On September 9, 2022, the accused persons picked the victim up in a Taxi at the Ankaful Hospital to Pedu junction in Cape Coast.
They then took her to an uncompleted building belonging to the chief, where they had dug a hole in preparation for a ritual.
The chief is said to have hit the deceased with a club.
When she fell, her sister’s boyfriend dragged her by the feet while the chief held her neck till she died.
Meanwhile, news that the deceased had been missing for three weeks began to spread in Mankessim after she failed to return home after the interview.
A notice in circulation read:
“Georgina Botchwey went for an interview at Cape Coast on Wednesday, and up till now, she cannot be found; her phone is off. Please, anybody with information about her should call 0208503126 or 0247048711.”
Following this notice, a friend of the deceased raised an alarm about Georgina’s meeting with her sister’s boyfriend.
Shortly after the tip-off, the pastor was arrested in Cape Coast, and he admitted to the crime.
He subsequently led the police to the residence where Georgina had been buried, and her body was exhumed.
The family of the murdered student nurse later disclosed that the suspects initially demanded a ransom from them.
According to Georgina Asor Botchwey’s relatives, the pastor and his accomplice had demanded that they pay GH¢15,000 for her release.
Unfortunately, the family could not raise the said amount.
The pastor and chief are already in police custody after being remanded on Thursday, September 22, 2022.
The suspects, a self-styled pastor, Michael Darko, 48 and the Tufuhene of Ekumfi Akwakrom Christopher Ekow Quansah, 65, are to reappear before the Cape Coast Court on October 4, 2022.
Both have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder and murder, contrary to section 46 of the Criminal Offenses Act 1960, Act 29.