Police Intelligence Unit grabs 50 suspected criminals

The Intelligence Directorate of the Ghana Police Service has arrested 50 Nigerians suspected to be behind robberies, street crimes and cyber fraud at Kasoa and its environs.

The suspects, including a woman, are said to be illegal immigrants who lived in three separate houses at Gomoa Budumburam, near Kasoa, where more than 20 of them shared a room.

They are aged between 20 and 37 and claimed they were students or businessmen but had no proof.

Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Director-General of the Intelligence Directorate, Commissioner of Police (COP) Mr Christian Tetteh Yohuno, said the suspects were arrested based on intelligence that they stayed indoors during the day, to engage in cyber crime and carry out robbery activities at night.

Items found

A swoop by personnel from the directorate at targeted areas at Gomoa Budumburam about 9 a.m. yesterday led to the rounding up of 20 suspects in a two-bedroom facility.

According to the police, most of the suspects were busy on their laptops, while others were sleeping at the time of the swoop.

The police retrieved 46 laptops, 25 mobile phones and other assorted electronic gadgets suspected to have been used for cyber crime from the suspects.

Mr Yohuno said the police would interrogate the suspects, after which the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) would be invited to ascertain their residence statuses.

The Cyber Crime Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service will also be invited to examine the laptops to confirm any cyber crime activities.

Repatriation

This is the second biggest arrest by the Intelligence Directorate since its creation by the Inspector General of Police, Mr David Asante-Apeatu, earlier this year.

In the first instance, 46 Nigerians were arrested early this month for similar offences at Ngleshie Amanfro, near Kasoa.

This earlier arrest had 21 of the suspects being without residential or work permits to enable them to stay in Ghana.

The police said the GIS was processing them for deportation to Nigeria.

"Such suspected criminals use Ghana as their base and defraud foreigners and investors of various sums of money. Their activities dent the reputation of Ghana. We are going to swoop on all cyber fraudsters," he said.

Advice

Mr Yohuno advised foreigners in Ghana whose permits had expired to regularise their stay with the GIS and also ensure that they engaged in meaningful jobs, “otherwise they may be suspected of being involved in criminal activities”.

According to him, criminal activities within Kasoa and its environs had reduced tremendously since the first operation.

The directorate, he said, would sustain the swoop to reduce street crimes, residential robberies and cyber fraud.