Fraudster arrested for using multiple names to defraud victims

Tema, Dec. 24, GNA - The Tema Railway and Port Police have arrested a 33 year old man for using multiple names to defraud a number of people under the pretext of clearing vehicles for them.

Kingsley Oppong, also known as Kingsley Asamoah alias Antwi and Appiah used dubious means to defraud Mrs Constance Akyaa-Agyekum a farmer based in Kumasi of 71 million cedis under the pretext of clearing two vehicles for her.

Oppong who also defrauded a couple of 72 million for a similar purpose has been remanded in police custody pending investigations into the case.

The Tema Regional Police Public Affairs Officer (PAO), Chief Inspector Yaw Nketia-Yeboah told the GNA at Tema that on November 27, Mrs Akyaa-Agyekum received a telephone call that her relative resident in Europe had shipped a Mercedes Benz 208 bus and C 190 Saloon cars to her.

The message requested her to clear the two vehicles using her own money after which the suspect introduced himself to him as a clearing agent who is to clear the vehicle.

He said after showing them the cars at the car park at the Tema Harbour, Mrs Akyaa-Agyekum became convinced and gave him 71 million cedis as demanded for the business.

The PAO said unknown to the victim, the suspect deposited the money in his own private account instead of the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) account and this was unknown to the victim and her two sons accompanying her and he left them to their fate. Later, Kingsley Oppong travelled to Sunyani to cash the money but the bank had blocked it so he returned to Tema and was arrested in the process of cashing the money.

As the police were interrogating the case on Friday December 22, a transporter and his wife came to lodge a complaint against Oppong for defrauding them of 72 million cedis for the same purpose using similar tactics.

Chief Inspector Nketia-Yeboah appealed to anyone who has fallen prey to Oppong's tricks to report to the police.