Police nab four fraudsters

Page 31: Daily Graphic, June 16, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
FOUR persons who allegedly defrauded a British national of £4,000 under two different fraudulent deals have been arrested by the police.
The suspects, Michael Ivan Kesty, Stephen Dadzie, Godwin Aborge and Julius Nutsukpo, are currently in custody at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters pending further investigations.
The suspects were said to have established contacts with the Briton through the Internet as friends but later used that opportunity to extract various sums of money totalling £4,000 from him.
While Michael and Stephen introduced themselves as surveyors based at Kasoa in the Central Region, Godwin and Julius exploited their cordial relationship with the victim to their advantage.
Briefing the Daily Graphic yesterday, the head of the Commercial Crime Unit (CCU) of the CID, Superintendent Maame Yaa Tiwaah, said Michael and Stephen after establishing rapport with their victim, informed him that the chief of Gomoa Fetteh and Akoti Village was selling parcels of land to prospective buyers.
She said the two allegedly mentioned the name of the chief as Baba Musah and assured their victim that they could facilitate the purchase of 5,000 acres for a fee of £100,000.
According to her, the suspects explained to their victim that 3,000 acres of the land was located at Gomoa Fetteh while 2,000 acres was at Kwasikrom also at Gomoa Fetteh.
Supt Tiwaah said the two then requested for £10,000 from their victim for the documentation covering the parcels of land to be sold to him.
She said the two men then informed their victim that the remaining £90,000 was to be paid over nine years in £10,000 instalments.
She said Michael and Stephen then sent a letter via the Internet purportedly signed by the Registrar of the High Court with Chief Baba Musah as witness to the transaction.
Supt Tiwaah said the victim then sent £1,400 to Michael and Stephen through the money transfer system.
She said while that transaction was ongoing, Godwin and Julius were also chatting with the victim as a friend and deliberations that Michael and Stephen were not privy to.
According to her, Godwin and Julius later informed their victim that their father had suddenly fallen ill with stroke and solicited for £2,600, which the victim sent.
Supt Tiwaah said after sending the money, the victim later discussed with some London-based Ghanaians the purchase of land in Ghana and the appeal for financial assistance by his Ghanaian friends.
She said it was during the discussion that the victim was informed that the transactions were fraudulent.
She said the victim then lodged a complaint with the police and under an arrangement, the victim informed the two groups that he had sent £750 to them and asked them to pick it up.
Supt Tiwaah said a team of detectives laid ambush on the premises of the money transfer organisation and arrested the four men when they showed up to collect the money.