Cape Coast, August 4, GNA-Three friends who allegedly attempted to use forged documents to secure loans from a financial institution at Dunkwa-on-Offin have been arrested and placed in prison custody. The accused persons; Gilbert Boahen, unemployed, Joseph Ampomah and Romeo Oduro Marfo, teachers, were arraigned before the Dunkwa circuit court charged with five counts of impersonation, conspiracy to commit crime, possessing forged documents, falsification of accounts and abetment of crime.

Their pleas were not taken and they will be re-arraigned on Tuesday, September 14.

According to the Central Regional Police Public Relations Officer Corporal Raymond Asaaba, Boahen lived at Ankaako while the two teachers are residents of Jukwa, near Cape Coast. He said on Wednesday August 25, about 14.30 hours, Boahen presented forged Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) ID card and a National Health Insurance Scheme ID card both bearing the name of Foster Frempong but had his (Boahen's) passport pictures on them, together with a Ghana Education Service(GES)pay slip to solicit for a loan from a bank.

Inspector Asaaba said the Branch Manager of the Bank questioned Boahen about information on the pay slip but he could not give answers to any of them and he was handed over to the police. He said Boahen told the police that Ampomah was the source of the forged documents and had recruited people including him to use them to go for loans.

The PRO alleged that the accused then led the police to Ampomah's house and on seeing the police, he stripped naked, scaled a window and took to his heels but he was pursued and arrested and when his room was searched, two letter heads of the GES and AME Zion education unit were found.

Other documents found were University of Cape Coast certificates bearing Ampomah's name, three NHIS cards, GNAT ID cards, ten Voter ID cards bearing different names and pictures, nine stamps belonging to different departmental heads, documents on loans granted and loan application forms of different institutions. Inspector Asaaba said authorization notes from the Controller and Accountant General Department, numerous pay slips belonging to different levels of teaching staffs, four Agricultural Development Bank cheque books and ATM cards of one Donald Frempong were retrieved. He said Ampomah claimed ownership of the documents and cards and mentioned Marfo as his accomplice saying he supplies him with the pay slips. Marfo was also arrested in his house at Jukwa and the three were charged with the offences.