By Louise Jobe
On Thursday, June 15 2017, at about 04:00am, 22year old Essa Jarjue, a Senegalese National resident in Tabokoto, was caught breaking into a dwelling house and attempting to rape a woman in New Yundum. Essa was escorted to the Yundum / Banjulinding Police Station where he is detained at the moment, pending further investigation of other cases related to him.
According to reports, the suspect was passing through a compound and noticed an open window; that after a glimpse, he saw a lady sleeping and then decided to scale through the window into the house where he attempted to rape a 23year old woman prior to his attempt to strangle her on the neck. Reports further indicate that the lady struggled until she was able to yell for help and this triggered the attention of people who ran towards the room to help, thereby making the alleged intruder to flee for his life. Reports further alleged that the rapist proceeded to another compound in New Yundum and used a similar mode of operation, this time, entering through the back door that was half way opened. Upon entering, it is further alleged that he saw a lady, believe to be in her 18th year, lying on a wooden armed chair, and attempted to rape her as well. The lady upon realizing some abnormalities on her body, screamed for help, forcing the alleged rapist to run again only to be spotted by a mob, who carried out street justice on him, and escorted him to the Police station.
After thoroughly going through the statements of the complainants, witnesses and the suspect, the police investigators at Yundum Station saw the peculiarities of the case and previous rape cases reported to the police by complainants from Lamin and Faji Kunda villages. The suspect was confronted with the two incidents and intensively interrogated by police investigators and this was the time Essa Jarjue confessed to the police of his crimes in Lamin and other villages in Kombo North, during which he was able to steal two mobile phones.
Essa Jarjue is currently charged with 2 counts of murder, 4 counts of attempted rape, and 4 counts of housebreaking and stealing, all contrary to the criminal code, cap 10, volume III of the laws of the Gambia.
Subsequently, the office of the Inspector General of Police through the PRO, returns gratitude to the general public for their vigilance and cooperation manifested during the search and previous searches conducted in the above mentioned villages in Kombo North, to clamp down on crime and criminals.
The office further encourages the general public to continue their vigilance and report any suspicious crime and criminal activities in their neighborhoods, as that is the only way to guarantee a ‘crime free Gambia’.
