Busted: Girlfriend of deceased police inspector convicted for impersonating commander and duping family GH¢2000 for death certificate processing
Sarah Wilson, also known as Maame Esi is a 38-year-old woman who was the girlfriend of a recently deceased police inspector.
She took advantage of her closeness to the deceased police inspector and the knowledge of his personal information to make a misrepresentation to his family and succeeded in duping them of GH¢2000.
She had apparently posed as the Central North Regional Police Commander and succeeded in deceiving the father of the deceased police inspector into sending her GH¢2000 under the guise of using it to facilitate funeral arrangements and the process of a death certificate.
When the father complied and sent the money, she grew greedier and demanded another GH¢2000 to be paid urgently for more purported official processes.
This was when the father of the deceased became suspicious and lodged a complaint at the police station.
Sarah Wilson, upon her arrest, confessed and has since been convicted by the Assin Fosu District Court.
She was arraigned on Monday, June 1, 2026.
She was found guilty after admitting to charges of impersonation, stealing, and obtaining an electronic payment medium by false pretences.
The court, presided over by Peter Anongdare, sentenced her to a fine of 90 penalty units, equivalent to GH¢1,080, or serve six months imprisonment in default.
She was also ordered to sign a one-year bond to be of good behaviour, with a further six-month jail term hanging over her should she breach the conditions.
Court records seen by Graphic Online indicate she has since paid the fine.
In court on Monday, the prosecutor, Inspector Matilda Osaah Buabeng, told the court that the case originated from a complaint lodged by the father of the late Inspector Evans Krampah, formerly of the Regional Motor Traffic and Transport Department (RMTTD) at the Central North Region.
Sarah Wilson first called the father of the deceased on May 17, 2026 and again on May 20, 2026.
According to the prosecution, the bereaved father received a telephone call from the woman who introduced herself as the Central North Regional Police Commander.
She informed him that GH¢2,000 was urgently needed to process a burial certificate for his late son ahead of the funeral.
Trusting that he was dealing with a senior police officer, the complainant transferred the money electronically.
His suspicions, however, were aroused when the caller [Sarah Wilson] later requested an additional GH¢2,000 for another purported official process.
The father subsequently reported the matter to the police, triggering investigations that uncovered the fraudulent scheme.
Investigations and a tip off led to the arrest of Sarah Wilson, on May 23, 2026, who police identified as the girlfriend of the deceased police inspector.
The court heard that the telephone numbers used in the transaction were traced to Sarah Wilson.
During interrogation, she admitted orchestrating the fraud and revealed that she had used a voice-modifying application known as "Magic Voice" to disguise her identity and deceive the complainant.
Police investigators also retrieved the GH¢2,000 proceed from the fraudulent transaction.
Following her arrest, Wilson was charged and arraigned before the Assin Fosu District Court, where she pleaded guilty to all the offences.
The conviction has been welcomed by law enforcement authorities, who say the case highlights the growing sophistication of impersonation and electronic fraud schemes and served as a warning to the public to verify requests for money before making payments.
