Three children who went missing in Ghana have been found dead inside a parked vehicle in the Koblimahagu Zuo community in the Tamale Metropolis.
The children, aged three, five and seven, reportedly left their homes on Sunday to attend Islamic classes but did not return.
The Northern Regional Police Command says their bodies were discovered in the boot of a black Hyundai Tucson, registration number AS 1770-14, on a road leading to the community.
The vehicle was reportedly stuck in mud for about five days.
The police identified the deceased as three-year-old Dauda Abdul Aziz, five-year-old Saani Alsharaf and seven-year-old Dauda Fadilan.
Assembly Member for the area, Seidu Fuseini, confirmed the deaths and said the vehicle owner had been taken into police custody to assist with investigations.
According to Mr Fuseini, the owner told police that he had locked all the vehicle’s doors before leaving it.
A relative of one of the children, Mohammed Juuna, said in a social media post that the children were found trapped inside the stationary vehicle.
The police said a preliminary inspection showed that the driver’s door and the rear passenger door behind the driver’s seat were open, while the other doors, including the boot, were locked.
Investigators established that the vehicle belongs to a member of the Ghana Immigration Service, who said it had been stuck in the mud for about five days.
The bodies have been taken to the Tamale Teaching Hospital mortuary for autopsy.
The Inspector-General of Police has deployed a special team of homicide investigators, crime scene experts and intelligence officers to Tamale to support the regional command.
The vehicle has also been secured for forensic examination.
The police said the autopsy and forensic examination would help establish the circumstances surrounding the children’s deaths.
The Northern Regional Police Command urged the public to remain calm and assured residents that all necessary investigative steps were being taken.
It said further updates would be provided as the investigation progresses.
