BARBARIC! ...Body Of Illegal Miner Dumped At Cemetery To Rot

THE REMAINS of an unidentified man believed to be in his early thirties was yesterday abandoned to rot at a cemetery by residents of Akyem Agyapomaa, a farming community near Akyem Asafo in the East Akyem municipality of the Eastern region. The deceased was said to have died after engaging in illegal mining. The fury of the residents stems from the fact that the illegal miner was contributing to the rapid destruction of the natural resources of the community, hence, the treatment. The plight of the deceased who was found lying in a galamsey pit has thrown the area into a state of shock and disbelief. Some residents, who spoke to the DAILY HERITAGE in an interview, explained that they discovered the lifeless body at the mining site, but, with suspicion that he got trapped while he was working. They asserted that, the remains were retrieved from the pit and sent to the chief�s palace for the elders to assist in tracing the whereabouts of his family since he was not known in the community. Sadly, after taking the account of the men who transported the remains of the illegal miner to the palace, the chiefs ordered that the body be returned to the scene as they cannot stay with the dead body at the palace. This compelled the residents to shroud the body in a white cloth and dumped it at the cemetery. According to some residents, the area has been invaded by strangers who troop to the town to engage in illegal mining and they are thus not surprised that he was trapped dead in the pit. The Police led by the Kibi Divisional Commander, Supt Cephas Bediako, however, suspect foul play. According to him, they detected blood gushing out of the head of the deceased. The police revealed that investigations would commence to unravel the cause of death of the man. Meanwhile, some residents claim the family of the deceased reside at Nkawkaw and has been invited to assist the police in investigations. The body has since been deposited at the morgue pending autopsy.