Gambia: Angry Mob Assail On Suspected Thief in Serrekunda

A young man was last weekend beaten at the Brikama Car Park in Serrekunda by an angry mob after he allegedly took the wallet of a woman who was scrambling for a vehicle.

The boy was beaten such that he could not walk alone and was left on the floor unconscious. The boy, according to the information received, joined the people scrambling for a vehicle with the intent of stealing from people. The vendors who were present said they recognise the boy as someone who joins people to scramble for vehicles and in the end, would steal from them. They said there are others like him and they will spend the whole day at the ar park.

Salesmen and women around the Serrekunda Car Park decried that there are boys who would come to the park in the morning and would be there the whole day purposefully to steal from people. They accused the boys of pickpocketing.

The boy was caught by the crowd and he was beaten by them. As a result of the beating he received, the boy fell to the ground and was unconscious.

Some of the people in the mob told this reporter that when they take the boys to the police, the police would leave them within minutes and they will come back to the market to steal from people again. In their view, the best way to deal with the boys is to beat them.

Ousman Danso, an eyewitness said he saw the boy picked up the wallet of the lady and threw it at another boy who was standing at a distance. The boy who finally received the wallet escaped by running away but the one who picked the wallet from the woman was caught and could not run away.

Other eyewitnesses said they saw the boy pick the wallet from the woman while she was scrambling for a vehicle.

The reporter attempted to talk to the boy but he could barely talk.

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