The man in your shot, Dr Ram Beckley was said to be a doctor and an occultist who kidnapped schoolchildren and sacrificed them to his gods. When he was first arrested in 1994, he had many school uniforms and human skulls in his house at Fadama in Accra.
He was charged with assaulting and kidnapping a class three pupil in court. He was later discharged from the court.
Dr Beckley’s discharge followed advice from the Attorney-General’s office recommending the discontinuation of the trial.
Dr Beckley had pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted five million cedis bail ($100, 500gh) by a Regional Tribunal on June 25, 1994, after the Adjabeng Community Tribunal refused him bail.
He resurfaced again in Gbawe in 2002 and allegedly kidnapped another 13-year-old girl and her friend. He tied one to a tree and dragged the other girl to his room. The girl tied to the tree called for help and passersby rescued her.
When the matter finally got to the police, his house was searched but they never found the girl that was dragged to his room. His house was again burnt to the ground by an angry mob.
Beckley was said to have lured a girl to his house under the pretext of buying some vegetables she was selling.
Police on April 14 arrested Dr Beckley for abducting two teenage girls, one aged 13 to his residence at New Gbawe one evening.
The girls said to be selling tomatoes were allegedly contacted by Dr Beckley, who offered to buy all of their wares if they would follow him to his residence in his car. The children allegedly joined Dr Beckley at his residence.
He was said to have tied one of the girls to a tree in the house and then dragged the other into a room in the house. A police search at his residence, however, failed to produce the other girl, who was dragged into one of the rooms of the house.
Police mounted a 24-hour guard at Dr Beckley’s residence to prevent angry youth in the area from attacking and setting the house on fire but they eventually did. Hundreds of people besieged the residence and stoned Police and Fire Service personnel at the site.
His multistorey house at New Fadama had tall wall fencing so no one could see what went on in the house. It also made it harder for his victims to escape. It was rumoured he feasted on the flesh of his victims and drank their blood.
His house and where he lived has now been turned into a house of worship and a prayer camp for a church.
During his days, parents would hide their children in the bedroom from fear of being Kidnapped by Dr Beckley and used for rituals. Other parents also had to accompany their wards to and from school with clubs and guns in order to offer protection for them from Dr Beckley.
No one ever heard from him after his house was burnt in Gbawe, Accra.
The question remains where is Dr Ram Beckley?