Credit card stealing smashed

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has smashed an international syndicate involved in fraudulent credit card and airline ticket deals.

The 11-member syndicate includes three Nigerians - Richard Adibisi Bruce, Alex Imafedon and Raymond Adesesan Adeyokunnu - who are said to be the brain behind the deals.

The rest are eight Ghanaians, including Ms Dela Deegbe, a receptionist at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Accra. Briefing newsmen, Chief Superintendent Vincent Kwaku Dzakpata in charge of Operations at the CID Headquarters, said an Assistant Manager of Accra New Town Post Office, Mr. Edward Adjintee, who used his office to facilitate the activities of the syndicate has also been arrested.

The other suspects are David Eduafo, waiter, and Charles Sam, front desk office clerk at Nogahil Hotel, Benjamin Glover, computer systems analyst, Patrick Adams Hienno, graphics designer, Alex Dotse and Malik Alhassan of no fixed address.

Victims of the syndicate are foreigners who lodged at the La Beach, Nogahil and Golden Tulip Hotels in Accra and Sheraton Hotel in Lagos, Nigeria. Chief Superintendent Dzakpata said generally, members of the syndicate have their agents who are employees of these hotels and who are provided with information about the credit cards of customers at the hotels.

He said Ms Deegbe served as a source where the syndicate obtained particulars of the credit cards from Golden Tulip hotel. Eduafo and Sam also provided information to the syndicate while Glover and Hienno used the computer to facilitate the commission of the crime. "Armed with the credit card particulars, the Nigerians sent fax messages to companies in the United States and Europe where they purchased air tickets and sold them at reduced prices," Chief Superintendent Dzakpata said.

He added that they placed orders for Ericsson Motorola and Nokia telephones, gold and diamond rings, ladies handbags, bed spreads, bracelets and necklaces, swimming costumes, shoes and waist belts which they sold in Ghana and Nigeria. Chief Superintendent Dzakpata said the Nigerians acquired letterboxes through which the gold and diamond rings and other durable articles are received.

He said between October four and November eight, this year, Adjintee conspired with the Nigerians and managed to clear 10 parcels of articles containing gold and diamond rings, bracelets and necklaces for the syndicate. Chief Superintendent Dzakpata said during the clearing of the last two parcels, personnel from the CID took cover at the Newtown Post Office and arrested Adjintee. He said some of the items have been retrieved and the suspects, who are in custody, will soon be arraigned before a tribunal.