General News of Thursday, 21 April 2011

Source: GNA

Money doubler says the dwarfs he deals with are genuine

Bolgatanga, April 21, GNA - An alleged money doubler Mohammed Alhassan from Lamashegu in Tamale has been arrested by the Bolgatanga Regional Police for swindling one Mr Zakaria Atongu. He told Mr Atongu that he would raise his money from 300.00 Ghana cedis to 3,000 Ghana cedis.

Mr Atongu, 25, who was said to have been admitted at the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital for ill health, was in need of money to settle his medical bills as the amount he had was not sufficient for the bill.

A statement by the Upper East Regional Public Relations Officer of the Police, Chief Inspector Thomas Agbanyo, said the victim's family members visited him in hospital and brought along a supposed money doubler.

Mr Zakaria, who was in need of money to pay his medical bills, showed interest in the deal and assured his family of 300.00 Ghana Cedis he had and so went together with them to the Bolgatanga lorry station to deliver the money for doubling.

The money doubler also sold to them a pamphlet on how to increase money at a cost of 2.00 Ghana cedis. The statement said the suspect assured them that he would increase the money to 3,000.00 Ghana cedis for them and that he would use the 300.00 Ghana cedis they had brought to buy some perfumes and items for his rituals.

He gave them a date to report for the collection of the money. On the agreed date, the victim and his brothers were handed a mini-box that contained the alleged 3,000 Ghana cedis but when they opened the box on arrival at home, they found only cut pieces of paper in money size.

When the victims contacted the suspect on phone they were told he had travelled to Gushiegu.

Last week the suspect was arrested in Bolgatanga when he resurfaced in the town but upon interrogation he said he gave real money to his victim and could not explain why after opening the box, in the victims' house, the content turned into pieces of paper. He said he acted on the instructions of dwarfs and that what he did was genuine.