Fake gold, currency bust: BoG money boxes found at crime scene - National Security

National Security is probing the mysterious circumstances under which a syndicate which was recently busted over fake currencies and gold bars in Accra was in possession of exclusive Bank of Ghana (BoG) money boxes.

Operatives of National Security uncovered several official Bank of Ghana money boxes at the syndicate's operation centre at Sapeiman in the Greater Accra Region, off the Accra-Nsawam Road.

Authorities have since verified that those boxes, labelled “EXCLUSIVE to the Bank of Ghana”, were not replicas but genuine BoG property.

The syndicate's operation has since been under National Security surveillance to protect and preserve the integrity of the evidence.

The Director in charge of Special Operations at the National Security Secretariat, Richard Jakpa, told journalists during an exclusive tour of the supposed crime scene that National Security was on the heels of the ringleader of the syndicate.

The ringleader, simply known as Alhaji, has been on the run since the February 2025 successful sting operation that found American dollars and Ghana cedis in fake notes in 10 40-footer containers.

Manhunt

Mr Jakpa said a manhunt was still underway to apprehend the alleged kingpin behind the sophisticated counterfeiting syndicate, stressing that National Security operatives were actively tracking his movements.

"We have solid evidence connecting Alhaji to the crime scene and to the broader network of illegal activities," Mr Jakpa said.

"We are confident that it is only a matter of time before he will be apprehended," he added.

The operation also discovered a collection of fake gold bars, many of them already peeling to reveal a silver-coloured metal.

Mr Jakpa said it was likely that two of the containers were moved out just before the operation.

Disguised operation

The syndicate's operation centre, it turned out, was disguised by its modest appearance.

At first sight, it was a small, partially complete two-room house.

In front of this structure is a wooden frame on which a banner with the inscription “Battery Doctor” hangs, and relics of batteries used to charge dying vehicle batteries were still there.

Directly opposite this house is a lotto kiosk, which would later be found to be the human alarm system that alerted the masterminds at the heart of the scam that involved fake dollars and other currencies that was prised open by National Security a few weeks ago.

Adjacent to this ramshackle structure was the open warehouse, which had an office and a kitchen where the containers of the fake dollars and, in some cases, fake gold bars, cement, charcoal and bagged water, were being kept.

Mr Jakpa said the dollars were first-grade counterfeit that could have fooled the most intelligent person.

He explained that it was only under UV light that the fake currency could be detected.

The containers still had their contents intact.

He reiterated that similar busts had been carried out in East Legon and Dzorwulu, leading to the arrest of 13 people and the discovery of over $100 million in fake currencies, among other things.