Police in the Central Region have arrested a 35-year-old man accused of defrauding more than 20 people by funding an extravagant naming ceremony with borrowed money.

Richard Kobee, from Enyanmaim in the Ajumako Enyan Essiam District, was arrested at his hideout in Takoradi in the Western Region after months on the run.

He is alleged to have collected over GH¢20,000 from residents, claiming the money was to secure hospital bail for his mother. Victims say they lent him the funds in good faith, only to later discover his mother was not ill.

Instead, Kobee reportedly used the money to stage what locals described as the most expensive naming ceremony the community had ever witnessed.

After the event, he assured residents he would repay them, but more than four months passed without any refunds. Victims subsequently complained to the police in Mankessim.

Reverend Fiifi Michael, a journalist and Master of the Ceremony who had initially facilitated some of the borrowing, said Kobee also used multiple phone numbers to defraud people. In some cases, he allegedly impersonated a woman or lured female victims into fake relationships to obtain money.

According to reports, he had security cameras installed at his home and often locked himself inside to evade those demanding repayment.

He later fled to Takoradi, where he changed all his phone numbers before being tracked down.

Kobee has since been returned to Enyanmaim for identification by victims and is currently assisting police with investigations at the Ajumako District Police Command.