CID investigates attempted suicide

Page 3: January 12, 2008

Story: Albert K. Salia
A businessman who has fallen victim to a 419 scam is being investigated by the police for attempted suicide.
The man, Woolf Alistair, said to be a Director of Woolf Global Resources Company Limited, allegedly took an overdose of sleeping tablets on January 8, this year, to end his life after he stated in a suicide note that one Alhaji Iddrisu, had ruined his life.
“I have taken an overdose of sleeping tablets because I have been ruined by Alhaji and I have no means of dealing with the situation,” the suicide note, which had the time 5:20 a.m. and dated January 8, 2008, read.
He was resuscitated at a clinic at West Legon, after the police broke into his hotel room to pick him up.
The Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Frank Adu-Poku, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the manager of the hotel at Haatso, called the police to inform them that the room of Alistair had been locked from within and that attempts to open it had failed.
He said a team was despatched to the hotel and when the door to the room was forced opened, Alistair was found unconscious on his bed.
He said just as the police were making efforts to pick up the body, they found the suicide note.
DCOP Adu-Poku said Alistair was sent to clinic for treatment and was resuscitated and discharged the following day.
According to him, it was during his interrogation that Alistair claimed that one Alhaji Iddrisu had defrauded him of thousands of dollars under the pretext of supplying him with more dollars.
DCOP Adu-Poku said Alistair had claimed that Alhaji Iddrisu had performed some rituals to supply trunkloads of dollars in $100 bills.
He said it was after such rituals that Alistair became convinced that Alhaji Iddrisu could help him.
Alistair, who admitted in his statement to the police that he had fallen victim to such scams in Abidjan and Cotonou, said he travelled to Britain to bring in more cash for Alhaji Iddrisu to double for him.
The suspect alleged that after collecting the money, Alhaji Iddrisu, who is now being sought out by the police, told him that he was travelling to Dodowa to bring the money to him.
Alistair said he called Alhaji Iddrisu’s cell phone that same evening but it was switched off.
He said he also got through the line the next day but a woman, who claimed to be the wife of Alhaji Iddrisu, responded to the call and told him that Alhaji Iddrisu had been arrested by Togolese security personnel.
He said from then on, he became convinced that he had been duped again and decided to end his life.