“Looks like he was killed before dumped into the river” Crime Officer Kassim
By Mohamed Papa Bangura.
MAGBURAKA-The Crime Officer Magburaka police division ASP Abdul Kassim Sesay has told Mountain Waves News that they suspect foul play in the death of police officer 18707 Melvin Conteh. Officer Melvin allegedly drowned on September 5th around Mathombo village in the Konikay Sanda chiefdom on a visit to his girlfriend. Melvin was on board a boat with his girlfriend Adamasay Mamusu Tholley and Abdul Gbonka Koroma her relative who was the boat captain. The officer visited his in laws to bid them farewell upon his transfer from Makali to Freetown. He died on his way out of the village. Police have arrested Adamsay Mamusu Tholley, the girlfriend of the late officer and Abdul Gonka Koroma the boat captain for further investigations.
” I won’t comment on the pathologist’s report yet. But from our Investigations, we strongly believed that the officer did not drown as it was reported to us. We are suspecting foul play. Officer Melvin might have been manhandled before he was thrown into the river because he was found, his stomach was flat, his neck was bruise, no water coming out from him and blood was running through his openings. But we are still investigating”, he said. The boat is too small and the river is too shallow to drown PC Conteh in my view, he must have been killed before thrown in”.
ASP Kassim further said, from their findings, there was tension between the late man’s wife who resides in Freetown and the girlfriend Adamsay who is now in custody. They had several insulting exchanges on the phone even when the man was in Freetown. ” Also they were three in the canoe. But the only person that got drowned is the officer who was visiting to bid farewell and moved to Freetown to join his wive upon his transfer. Is that not fishy?, the crime officer asked.
Meanwhile, the people of Mathombo Village in the Konikay Sanda Chiefdom, where the incident occured are calling on the police to speedy the Investigations. Osman Kommeh, Village Headman and uncle to Adamsay said they are still in fear. “Since the incident happened on Saturday evening, we have been in constant fear and cannot do anything. Our daughter Adamsay brought us our in law to bid us farewell. We spent some time together before they left. Few minutes later, we heard people shouting by the river and I had to rush there myself”, he said. On reaching the area, I was told Officer Melvin has drowned. “I was shocked and I jumped into the river to search for him myself. But to no avail. I later went to Makali and reported the matter to the police”. Adamasay and Abdul Gonka Koroma the boat captain were both arrested. Since then, we have not heard from them, the chief added. “This is an unfortunate incident. We gave the late officer our daughter. We cannot wish him death in our village”, the chief added.
Chief Kommeh said since Gbonka, the boat captain was arrested, there has been no movement in and outside of the village because he was the only one ferrying the people across. “I have never been to Freetown and this is the first time my son Gbonka has been taken there. I can’t speak Krio, so how can I follow up?” he asked. The chief is appealing to the police and human rights organizations to speedy the investigations and allow their community to function well once again.
Mountain Waves Blog on Monday 14th September visited Mathombo Village were Melvin last visited before his death. The river looked still and was less aggressive and dangerous. The remains of late Officer Melvin have been buried as the Magburaka police said the matter is now in Freetown.
The two suspects have been in police custody for over 10 days now without charge.