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AN ATTEMPT by officers of the Ghana Police Service in the New Juaben Municipality to rescue a suspected hand bag thief from being burnt alive led to the peace officers themselves being pelted with stones and sticks by an angry mob over the weekend. The thief was beaten to coma by the lawless mob for allegedly snatching a hand bag of a young lady early Saturday morning before the police arrived at the scene. He was identified as master Kofi and is believed to be in his early twenties. When the police arrived at the scene, the lawless residents were about to burn the suspected thief with vehicle tyres, but were stopped by the officers. This angered some of the residents who pelted the officers with stones and sticks. The police, however, were able to contain the situation and managed to rush the suspect to the Koforidua Regional Hospital where he is currently on admission and is said to be responding to treatment. The other accomplice, however, managed to abscond with the booty. Narrating the incident to the DAILY HERITAGE at the scene, an eyewitness explained that the thieves snatched the hand bag of a lady at Railways, a suburb in New Juaben municipality while walking at the roadside at about 6am. He said the lady screamed for help which attracted residents nearby to pursue the thieves and upon sensing danger, the suspect, Kofi, went into hiding under a bridge, but was apprehended by the angry mob who pulled the suspect onto the street and beat him to pulp with sticks and stones. The mob not satisfied with the injuries inflicted on the suspect who had fallen into coma planned to burn him alive with used car tyres and petrol, but the timely arrival of the police saved the suspect. The police personnel took the suspect into a police vehicle and rushed him to the Koforidua Regional Hospital for treatment. Bags and mobile phone snatching have been on the rise in the New Juaben Municipality for some time now with some of the culprits arrested and prosecuted; however, residents are calling for more work to be done to flush out the criminals. The residents say they believe instant justice would also serve as deterrent to similar criminals in the municipality to desist from their acts. Following the destruction of a popular slum which used to harbour criminals in the municipality known as �Pentoa Wala,� the suspected criminals in the area have scattered around in the New Juaben Municipality executing their criminal acts.