The three juveniles who were picked up by the police for their alleged involvement in the gang-rape video that went viral on social media were on Tuesday put before the Kumasi District Court.
They were remanded in custody to reappear today.
According to the police, the court could not hear the case because there was no panel to preside over the matter.
Juvenile trials are heard by a panel of three, made up of two social workers and a magistrate.
They were arrested after the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service (GPS) had launched full-scale investigations into the matter.
The three were among seven teenagers who were seen on video gang-raping another teenager at Bantama in Kumasi last Friday.
The police are also on the heels of four other teenagers whose identities are known but who have gone into hiding.
The seven suspects attend either senior high or junior high schools at Bantama.
Their names and those of their schools are being withheld for security reasons.
According to the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ashanti Regional Police Command, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Juliana Obeng, the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the command has invited the 18-year-old victim to assist in investigations.
Medical examination
ASP Obeng said the victim was currently at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) undergoing medical examination.
The arrest was made possible after the CID of the GPS had launched full-scale investigations into the matter.
Already, the CID had intercepted a video recording of what appeared to be a gang-rape involving a young lady and at least five men.
As part of their investigations, the police constituted a special investigative team to analyse the video, with the aim of identifying those involved and arresting them for further action.
A statement signed by the PRO of the CID, ASP Olivia Turkson, and issued in Accra last Monday, said the police had taken a serious view of the incident and would do everything humanly possible to bring the perpetrators of the heinous crime to book.
Many Ghanaians are outraged by the video, in which some young men are seen forcibly having sex with a girl who appears to be a teenager.
Social media
The video, which shows the young men taking turns to rape the teenager, has been circulating on social media.
The CID statement appealed to all media houses, especially those in possession of the video, to “stop circulating it, since it is an offence to circulate such obscene materials”.
According to the statement, anybody with any relevant information that can lead to the arrest of the suspects should personally report to the Cyber Crime Unit at the CID Headquarters in Accra for further action.
