Two Estate Agents arrested for fraud

The Kwabenya Police have arrested two estate agents for attempting to defraud a lady under the pretext of renting a house to her.

The suspects, Mohammed Surag aged 29, and Yaw Darko, 26, are in police custody assisting in investigations.

Saw advert on Tonaton

Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Public Relations Officer of the Accra Regional Police Command, DSP Mrs Effia Tenge, said the lady reported to the police that she saw photos of some apartments and contact number on Tonaton, advertising the accommodation for rent.

The lady said because she was in dire need of accommodation, she called the number and the person who picked up the call claimed to be an estate agent and confirmed he had put out those pictures of the apartments for rent with the intention of attracting prospective tenants.

“Finding the apartments decent, she expressed interest and followed up on it and her enquiries led her to the two suspects who both claimed to be landlord and agent respectively,” DSP Tenge said.

She said while Mohammed acted as the landlord, Yaw Darko, acted as the estate agent.

Apartments

DSP Tenge said the landlord and agent arranged for a meeting with the complainant and on the agreed date, September 18, 2020, they both led her to East Legon and showed some apartments to her going for GHc1,000.00 per month for two years.

The lady after negotiations gave them a cheque with a face value of GHc12,000.00 for them to cash.

Having received the cheque, the suspects then presented it to the bank the same day, but they were told the said amount could only be transferred to their accounts, the Police PRO further indicated.

Physical cash

Unsuccessful to cash the cheque, DSP Tenge said the suspects then called the complainant that they owed their banks so they could not transfer the money into their bank accounts and, therefore, requested for physical cash instead.

The complainant, suspecting the two men to be fraudsters, informed the Police who subsequently followed up and effected their arrest.

The suspects admitted to the offence in their respective caution statements.

Other victims

The PRO said the police believed that the two had defrauded a number of people under similar pretext.

She, therefore, called on the public, especially those who had fallen victim to the activities of the agents to contact the Kwabenya Police Station.