The Kaneshie Divisional Police Command of the Ghana Police Services has arrested two suspects in connection to an alleged GHc82,000.00 car fraud in Accra.
The suspects, Paul Kwabena Anum and Kwasi Banes were both arrested in Accra and Kumasi respectively on different occasions for allegedly defrauding a civil servant (name withheld) who was attempting to buy a Toyota Highlander vehicle from the suspects through Tonatom.com advert.
Confirming the arrest to Awake News, the Kaneshi Divisional Police Commander, (
According to ACP Faakye-Kumi, the second suspect, Mr. Kwasi Banes who was arrested in Kumasi had been granted police inquiry bail on the basis that pictures being showed by the victim and CCTV footage from a bank at Kaneshie where the transaction took place is different from the identity of the suspect.
suspect Paul Kwabena Anum who is currently in police custody
ACP Faakye-Kumi noted that the Head Office of Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police Services had called for the suspects to be transferred from the Kaneshie for further investigations.
Background
The victim who is a civil servant and based in the Northern Region saw an advert of the sales of the said Toyota Hylander on Tonaton.com, an online marketing platform.
After calling the suspects, he was the victim was told to come to Accra to buy the car which the victim did travel from Tamale to Accra.
The victim said upon reaching Accra, the suspects told him to meet at a washing bay at Achimota where they were washing the car. The victim indeed met the suspects at the washing bay where they have agreed to transact the business but the victim insisted the suspects accompany him to the bank to cash the money (GHc82,000) for them.
The victim said, upon the given the suspects the money at the bank at Kaneshie, the gang leader had handed over an envelope containing an ID card and the car keys but unknown to him, those keys and the ID cards were all fake.
He continued that, suspect Kwasi Banes then asked Paul to take him to where they had parked the car near the bank. However, upon getting closer to where the car was supposed to be parked, Paul took to his heels but was chased by the victim, and with help of some traders the suspect was arrested, but the leader of the gang was nowhere to be found.
GhanainTimes report on the incident had quoted ACP Faakye-Kumi to have said: “there had been two reports of similar modus within the past two weeks and appealed to the public to beware of fraudsters, and to do due diligence on online marketing firms before engaging them in business transactions.”
Mr. Kwasi Banes’ Arrest in Kumasi
Weeks after several attempts and unsatisfied with the pace of the investigation into the incident od the Kaneshie Police to apprehend Mr. Banes, the alleged gang leader, the victim hired the services of a private detective who helped to trace Mr. Banes to a car garage based in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital.
Through the help of the Police in Kumasi, Mr. Banes was arrested and transferred to the Kaneshie Divisional Command but was however granted police inquiry bail.
The victim has insisted the suspect who was arrested in Kumasi was the person he handed over the money to at the banking hall together with his accomplice Paul Kwabena Anum
By: Efo Korsi Senyo / awakenewsroom.com