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T’adi ‘pregnant woman’ arrested

 Josephine Panyin Mensah, 28, who allegedly went missing in Takoradi, in the Western Region, has been arrested and detained at the Takoradi Central Police cells, for further investigations.

Josephine, after grilling, according to the police, confessed that her pregnancy and kidnap story was a hoax.

Josephine’s mother, Agnes Essel, and her husband, Michael Simons, a mobile phone operator, who were earlier apprehended for conspiracy, have been granted bail, because they were not aware Josephine was allegedly faking the pregnancy.

“The suspect, Josephine, has confessed to the police during further investigations that she was neither pregnant nor kidnapped,” police source said, and assured that the public would be updated on the case.

Sources indicated that Josephine finally confessed she faked both the kidnapping and the pregnancy.

This was after a second medical examination at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital, where a team of specialist obstetrics gynaecologists, discounted her claim of pregnancy and handed her over to the police for interrogation.

Josephine pleaded with the police not to prosecute her and that she did not know the husband would report her fake kidnapping to the police, according to police source.

Josephine, Ghanaian Times  learnt, has asked for her husband’s forgiveness.

Police investigations, Ghanaian Times gathered, established that the SIM-card number that was used to call Josephine’s mother to demand a ransom after the alleged kidnap was reported to the police, was registered earlier this month in the name of Josephine Panyin Mensah.

The police traced the number to a location at Agona-Nkwanta, where a team of detectives were dispatched to get the suspect, but, Josephine had sneaked out until, she reappeared at Tolanu, at Axim in the Nzema East Municipality, on Tuesday, September 21.

The  police source explained,  that Josephine, who was admitted at the Axim Hospital for treatment, told  doctors  that  her abductors had taken her baby away.

But, doctors, after preliminary examinations,   concluded that Josephine was not pregnant, and this was also confirmed by authorities of the European Hospital, who claimed that Josephine did not attend any antenatal clinic as client.

According to police her hospital records, showed that, October, 2020, was the last time she visited the hospital, and her visit had nothing to do with pregnancy.

However, Josephine and her immediate family disputed the report that she faked the pregnancy and some members of the Colombia community in Takoradi, invoked curses on government and the  police

It would be recalled that, on Thursday, September 16, 2021, Josephine was reported missing at a time when she was said to be nine-months pregnant.

Some residents, who initially sympathised with Josephine, have expressed their disappointment at the twist and turns of the case.

On Friday afternoon, scores of sympathisers and journalists,waited at the  Takoradi Central Police station to receive information on the case, and in the evening Josephine was said to have confessed faking the pregnancy and kidnapping story.

“She used to visit our ‘waakye’ base to fetch embers of fire and sometimes, we take it to her home, near Colombia.Everybody was concerned about her state of health, and today, look at what has happened,” a woman recalled.

Abbas, a taxi driver, commented “This lady has worried everybody in Colombia and Takoradi, creating insecurity. Even the insults on authorities have been bad.”

FROM CLEMENT ADZEI BOYE, TAKORAD

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