Beware of fraudsters in uniform — Eastern Regional Police

The Eastern Regional Police have warned residents living in and around the New Juaben Municipality and other parts of the region to be wary of dealing with men in uniform as some are fake and only out to swindle them. 

The advice came on the heels of recent incidents of fraudsters in uniform involved in one crime or the other.

The Eastern Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ebenezer Tetteh, in an interview with The Mirror, appealed to residents to heed the advice in order not to fall victim to such men. 

"You must be suspicious of anyone who comes to you with the promise of enlisting your kids into any of the security services and asks you to part with money.

“Residents must not deal with such persons because they are fraudsters, rather they must report them to the police for action to be taken,"  he said.

According to DSP Tetteh,  the Regional Command was currently handling two of such cases involving fake military men. 

Meanwhile, there was also a case last year involving a fake police officer, now serving his jail term.

Cases

According to DSP Tetteh,  the command picked up Jonathan Anor in a military uniform on September 4, 2018 following a complaint from Reverend Maxwell Fosu

Asamoah of Hour of Faith Church, Nkurakan, in the Yilo Krobo Municipality.

Anor  is alleged to have  attacked Rev. Fosu Asamoah during which he demanded an amount of GH¢ 200,000 from him for assisting him to dig out a pot of gold for a certain family.

"The suspect did not get such amount from the complainant and he seized his two phones, 11 pieces of cloth in a suit case,  two bags of rice, a suit and a wedding gown all to the tune of GH¢ 6,255”,  DSP Tetteh said.

On September 8, this year, Anor was arrested at Osenase, near Nkurakan, and detained for investigation.

One of the stolen phones was found on him and same retained for evidential purpose", he indicated.

Swindle

Even before the Regional Command could bring finality to Anor's case, a Restaurant Manageress at Linda Dor, Koforidua,  Ms Emelia Amoah, was allegedly swindled by a 24-year-old electrician, Jephet Binney, who also posed as a military officer.

Binney, a resident of Nungua in the Greater Accra Region, was arrested and handed over to the police by four military men from Oguaa Base, Koforidua, on September 12, 2018, following a complaint by the victim.

DSP Tetteh said the suspect had earlier approached the victim with three framed photographs in which he was in a military uniform.

On August 10, 2018, Binney collected GH¢9, 000 from her under the pretext of enlisting her into the Ghana Armed Forces.

"That on September 4, same year, the suspect again collected GH¢16,000 from her under the pretext of buying some goods for sale at peacekeeping mission Lebanon and would pay her back on his return but failed to do so.

“All efforts made to retrieve the money proved futile", DSP Tetteh stated.

Three framed photographs the suspect presented to the victim posing as a military officer have been retained by the command.

The suspect has since been arrested and is currently in police custody being prepared for court.