Money swindler in firm grip of police

2011
A 25 year old, Zakaraia Atongu , a native of Binduri now domiciled in Navrongo of the Upper East Region, has effected the arrest of one , Mohammed Alhassan who duped him of his 300 Ghana Cedis on the pretence of doubling his money for him. Narrating the incident to Radio Ghana at Bolgatanga, the Regional Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Police Service, Chief Inspector Thomas Agbenyo, said the complainant Zakaria, who was on admission at the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital was introduced to the suspect, Alhassan by his brothers after failing to settle his hospital expenses. The said brothers in their attempt to defray the debt owed to the hospital, took the complainant to Alhassan also known as ‘Togbue’ at the new Bolgatanga lorry station. At the station, Alhassan insisted he could double the said amount of the complainant, but before that demanded some money to purchase some perfume for rituals. The deal was agreed upon and Zakaria handed over the money to him. The suspect then gave them a grace period to come back for their money for which the complainant and his brothers adhered to. He also sold to them a hard a copy and testimony of his activities pasted on his personal website. According to Chief Inspector Agbenyo, the complainant and his brothers later went to the suspect and were given a mini box containing the alleged money. In a joyous mood, the complainant and his brothers took the box home and to their uttermost dismay, when the box was opened, it was full of cut pieces of paper in the size of money. The complainants rushed back to the suspect but learnt he had left with a Tamale bound bus to Gushegu town. Their continuous search for the suspect proved fultile. Incidentally, the suspect re-surfaced in Bolgatanga and was spotted and arrested by the police upon a tip off. During his arrest, the suspect did not show any remorse of wrongdoing, claiming that what he gave the complainants were real money, adding that he cannot explain why after opening the box the money turned to white papers. The suspect also alleged that he acted on the instruction of his dwarfs, and that what he did was genuine and not to defraud his complainant. The suspect, Chief Inspector Agbenyo disclosed, would be arraigned before court for fraud, contatry to section 131 of Act 29/60. Chief Inspector Agbenyo took the opportunity to caution the general public against such swindlers and urged the general public to report any suspicious character for possible apprehension and prosecution.
GBC END IA/