Ghanaian police have launched an investigation into the “suspicious” death of Cheikh Toure, a 20-year-old Senegalese footballer, whose body was taken to a hospital in Kumasi last week.

Police said Toure was brought to the hospital last Thursday by a man who identified himself as Issah and claimed to be the victim’s brother. Issah told hospital staff that Toure had been involved in an accident.

“However, hospital records indicate that the victim was already dead on arrival,” police said in a statement, adding that he had sustained multiple abdominal injuries.

The investigation follows claims by Senegal’s government that Toure was the victim of a scam and extortion carried out by a network of fake football recruiters before being murdered by his captors.

Toure was a player with the Esprit Foot academy in Yeumbeul, near Dakar.

According to Senegal’s Ministry of Youth and Sports, he had travelled to Ghana in the hope of securing trials in Morocco before his death.

The ministry has urged clubs, academies, and parents to be cautious about unverified offers of overseas football trials.

Ghanaian police said a full investigation was underway to determine the circumstances surrounding Toure’s death.

Meanwhile, Senegal’s foreign ministry has sent representatives from its embassy in Ghana to assist local authorities and help repatriate the footballer’s body.