Policewoman loses GH₵60,000 to fraudsters

An Accra Circuit Court on Monday remanded two persons for allegedly defrauding a policewoman of GH₵60,000 under the pretext of clearing her two vehicles from the port for her.

Foster Afomale, a mechanic, was charged with obtaining electronic payment falsely and defrauding by false pretence whilst Kwaku Agbetor, a mason and Togolese was charged with abetment of crime.

Their pleas were not taken as prosecution prayed for time to do further investigation. They will return to court on February 18.

Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Emmanuel Nyamekye told the Court presided over by Mrs Ruby Naa Aryeetey that the complainant, Florence Antwi is a Police officer stationed at the Kotoka International Airport.

According to ASP Nyamekye, in October 2018, Madam Antwi received a text message from a US sim number by which the sender introduced himself as one Captain Richmond Tawiah, a Ghanaian military officer on a UN mission to the United States.

The Prosecution said the complainant and the alleged military officer became friends and exchanged messages and pictures.

He said the said military man shared his desire of buying himself a car and another one for her.

The Prosecution said the complainant showed interest and the alleged officer sent pictures of some cars to her which made her believe that he had bought those cars.

ASP Nyamekye said the alleged military man proceeded by sending the contact of a supposed clearing agent, who the complainant contacted.

The suposed clearing agent asked the complainant to pay GH₵60,000 for that purpose.

He said a GCB account bearing the name of Agbetor was given to her and she deposited the amount for clearing the cars after conferring with the said military man.

The prosecution said after the money was deposited, the phone lines of both “the soldier” as well as “the agent,” were blocked and the cars too were not sent to her.

ASP Nyamekye said when the 'pictures' of the soldier were used to trace him at Burma camp, the real Captain Randy Tawiah showed up but denied taking part in the scheme and revealed that other ladies have also fallen victim to such scams with the perpetrators using his pictures.

He said investigations revealed that the pictures were downloaded from his Facebook wall to perpetuate the crime.

The prosecution said on January 14, this year, the suspects were arrested and in their statements, Afomale claimed he received a message alert when the money was deposited so he called Agbetor who came to Aflao to withdraw the money for him, for which he gave Agbetor Gh₵1,500 as his fee.

The Prosecution said Afomale claimed he transferred the money via mobile money to one Daniel Dumenu, the brain behind the crime who is currently serving a jail-term at the Ankaful Prisons.