Shadrach Arloo, 32, passed away last Monday after an incident that took place at West Hills Mall’s Weija location in Accra, according to the mall’s management.
He reportedly resisted being taken into custody by a police officer who had reason to believe he was in possession of drugs or other illegal substances, but the management claims that eyewitness accounts, including those of its security officers, support this claim.
According to a statement made by Olympio Agbodza, the Assistant Asset Manager, Shadrach Arloo “took something from his bag and consumed it as the policeman approached him,” according to West Hills Mall.
They stated that Shadrach Arloo, a “visitor” at the time of the event on Monday afternoon (January 30, 2023) at 3:15 pm, was confronted by a police officer and asked to give his bag for inspection.
According to the report, as the policeman approached, “the young man stopped, took something out of his bag, and ingested it.”
“The officer apprehended the young man and another man who was with him as they approached the mall’s main entrance, as seen on footage from the mall’s 24-hour security monitoring system.
“A fight between the parties occurred as the police officer attempted to handcuff the young man.
“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 added.
Tuesday was the day that Shadrach Arloo, 32, was supposed to depart for Germany, but 24 hours earlier, he had a confrontation with a police officer and members of private security that left him dead.
Some eyewitnesses claim that one of the aforementioned men beat the man to death.
His sister, gospel singer Perpetual Didier, told Graphic Online that the family was informed by an eyewitness that Shadrach had been tased.
She asserted that Shadrach had visited a mall to go shopping and that he had done so to purchase stuff for his older sister, whose assistance had been used to help him obtain the necessary paperwork to travel to Germany.
Police Statement
The Police Professional Standards Bureau (PPSB) has started an inquiry into the claim, according to a news release from the police that was released Tuesday evening (Jan. 31, 2023), and Perpetual Didier has been asked to help with the investigation.
In a statement for the Director of Police Public Affairs, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mr. Victor K. Dosoo stated, “We would want to assure the public of a comprehensive inquiry into the incident.”
According to the report, Perpetual Didier’s social media video in which she claimed a police officer was to blame for her brother’s death caught the attention of the authorities.