Kumasi, Nov. 4, GNA - A 29-year-old porter who had for sometime terrorised traders, especially women at the Race Course market at night, raping some of them in the process, was on Wednesday arraigned before a circuit court in Kumasi for rape and posing as a police officer.

Kwaku Boateng, who was arrested last Tuesday at the KO Methodist Basic School premises for raping a 21-year-old trader, was remanded after the court had refused to take his plea.

He will re-appear on November 24.

Police Chief Inspector Agnes Dinkyini told the court that Boateng posed as a policeman detailed from the Kumasi Central Police Station to patrol the Race Course area and in the process, duped unsuspecting people of their money and in some cases raped the women.

She said in the latter part of last month, Miss Mabel Mensah, who had closed from work was going home in the company of a male friend at about 9 pm.

Chief Inspector Dinkyini said the accused approached them and asked them where they were going at that odd hour.

She said the two became frightened when Boateng introduced himself as a police officer and subsequently ordered them to follow him to the Central Police Station so that he could charge them for wondering without purpose.

Chief Inspector Dinkyini said to convince them that he was a genuine policeman; he sent the two to the premises of the police station where he ordered the victim's male friend to leave since he had shown remorse.

She said immediately the victim's friend left, Boateng hired a taxi and sent the victim to the KO Methodist basic school where he raped her several times at knifepoint and fled.

Chief Inspector Dinkyini said the victim reported the incident to the police who mounted an intensive search for the accused and succeeded in arresting him last Tuesday.