The Police Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) in Asante-Mampong has arrested a 34-year old pastor who baited an unsuspecting lady into a hotel room and attempted to rape her.

Pastor Nana Kwabena Boateng, alias “Manasseh”, of the Makers Chapel, convinced the victim to follow him to the place under the guise of providing her with spiritual guidance to surmount some life challenges.

He has since been arraigned and remanded into prison custody by the Nsuta Circuit Court.

Police Inspector Lawrence Okoe of the DOVVSU who confirmed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said the pastor resides at Kwabenya in Accra and travels regularly to Asante-Mampong for evangelism and counseling sessions.

The 22-year old victim attended one of the counseling meetings on May 22 this year, where the accused gave her his cellular phone number and asked her to give him a call later for spiritual direction.

She spoke with Pastor Boateng on phone in the evening of that same day and he directed that she meets him at Tadiem, a popular spot in Asante-Mampong.

There, the accused invited her to join him in his car so that they could go to a quiet place to hold special prayers, which she did.

He drove straight to Hotel Eldorado at Nsuta and led her into one of the rooms.

Police Inspector Okoe said once inside, the pastor locked the door and started fondling her but she fiercely resisted and struggled with him and tore her dress in the process.

The attention of the hotel attendants was drawn to the unusual noise from the room and they knocked at the door, which was opened by the pastor.

The accused later went to the lady to apologize and offered her an amount of GH¢50.00 to buy some pain killer.

She formally reported the incident to the police and the pastor was arrested.

Pastor Boateng would return to court to answer for his alleged crime on June 28.**