Police pick up 6 over fake mattresses

The Tema Regional Police Command has picked up six persons around Afienya and Dawhenya for manufacturing substandard mattresses and failing to conform to the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) specifications.

The arrests follow a joint operation between officials of the Greater Accra Regional office of GSA and the Tema Police last Thursday, as a response to viral social media videos from consumers.

In those videos, affected consumers who suspected foul play split open the mattresses and found out that they had been stuffed with cardboard and other substandard materials.

The six, all Chinese, are being processed to appear before the courts next week.

Serious offence

The Greater Accra Regional Manager of the GSA, Clement Kwolaga Kubati, told the Daily Graphic that the mattresses were not imported from China as being perceived, but rather, manufactured locally by the Chinese at Afienya and Dawhenya.

The companies have, subsequently, been closed down as the police commence investigations.

In October 2025, the companies were locked up by GSA for similar offences, but they managed to break the seal of the authority at the blind side of officials.

"We consider this a serious offence and our lawyers would take the appropriate action as the docket is being prepared for the court," Mr Kubati told the Daily Graphic.

"Per the procedure, if you're manufacturing or importing anything that is commercialised, it has to conform to GSA-approved standards.

"Normally, samples are brought for testing to assess the critical parameters before being given the licence for mass production.

Unfortunately, in this instance, the Chinese did not comply," he said.

Even before the viral videos, samples had been picked up from the retail markets, which indicated that the mattresses were fake or substandard.

Currently, those on the market are being recalled.

"Our lawyers are writing to such retail companies to recall all such products, as we urge consumers to always look out for the GSA certification mark before buying any product.

"It is important to note that the products are manufactured by some Chinese but not China Mall as an entity.

China Mall is only a distribution centre, in fact, one of many distribution centres.

"I'm sure if you go to Makola and other places, one might see some of them," he said.

Mr Kubati called for vigilance from both the authority and citizens as it rolled out a "nationalistic approach" to sustain the exercise.

To that effect, all regional offices of GSA are to form a task force to deal with the menace in their respective areas.