3 Killed In Suspected Arson Attack

A SUSPECTED arson attack on a compound house at Banana Inn, Dansoman, has left three people dead.

The deceased were identified as Rosemond Allottey, a 36-year-old seamstress, and her two children, Charlotte Papafio-Quartey, 11, and Emmanuella Papafio-Quartey, seven.

The two children were pupils of the Ministry of Health Basic School at Korle-Bu.
The incident occurred at 4 a.m. last Friday.

Residents of the house told the Daily Graphic that the attacker, said to be on the run, had, on several occasions prior to the incident, left a series of threatening messages on the wall leading to Madam Allottey’s bedroom.

Some of the messages read: “We can kill you people now” and “This is the last warning”.

A tenant in the house who spoke on condition of anonymity said the suspected arsonist was believed to have torched the room through the front window in the early hours of Friday.

“The availability of electricity at that time also worsened the situation, as all three of them were trapped in the room which was engulfed in thick smoke by the time other residents could go to their aid,” he said.

When the Daily Graphic visited the scene yesterday, the burnt household effects of the deceased, including clothing, a television set and pieces of furniture, were  scattered across the room.

The incident attracted residents of adjoining communities who thronged the scene to determine the truth or otherwise of the incident.

Some residents described Madam Allottey as being full of humour.

They debunked suggestions that she might have had problems with the alleged arsonist and appealed to the police to ensure thorough investigations into the matter and arrest the perpetrators of the heinous crime.

The Dansoman Police have since visited the scene and instituted investigations into the incident, while the bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the Police Hospital Mortuary awaiting autopsy.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Mon March 5, 2012