RESIDENTS OF Soldier Line, a military barracks at Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, had the rudest shock of their lives when they woke up on Monday morning to find the dead body of a young lady in their neighbourhood.

The pretty-looking thick-tall lady, believed to be in her early 20s, was found dead in a pool of blood at a plantain farm located within the heart of the military zone.

When the body was retrieved by officials of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ashanti Regional Police Command on Monday morning, the deceased, apart from her red top, was stark naked.

Her panties and skirt had been torn apart, whilst her black slippers lay beside her- an indication that the deceased person, who was dark in complexion, could have been raped before being killed.

Though, her body parts were intact when the corpse was recovered from the farm around 9.00am on Monday morning, the deceased had a deep wound on the lower side of her neck close to the left breast.

Curious spectators who stormed the scene to catch a glimpse of the dead body were quick to speculate that she was perhaps stabbed to death by her attackers.

Though a number of inquisitive spectators thronged the scene from all parts of the metropolis, none was able to identify the deceased.

Some of the residents who were among the curious spectators at the scene whispered that they heard some screaming in the area in the night but could not come out to find out what was amiss because they were afraid to do so.

As at press time yesterday, the police had not been able to arrest anybody in connection with the heinous crime which ironically occurred at a military barracks.

Meanwhile, the body of the deceased has been deposited at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) for autopsy, as the police continue their investigations.

The gruesome murder of the young lady at the military zone has raised questions about the security of the area which is located right behind the nation’s second largest teaching hospital.

Journalists covering the horrific event were given a raw deal as military officers at the place insisted that they would not allow media personnel to come near the scene or take photographs of the body and the area.

They argued that the area is a military zone; therefore, they would not allow journalists to take photographs for the purposes of publication.

This reporter and a camera man from the Kumasi office of TV3, popularly known as ‘Castro’, were almost manhandled when they secretly attempted to take photographs of the scene.

The wild-looking military officers finally allowed reporters to the scene to discharge their duties after the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ashanti Regional Police Command, Chief Inspector Yussif Tanko, intervened with a timely phone call to the leader of the CID team.

Source: Daily Guide

Tags: kumasi, military barracks, murder