An alleged kidnapping case involving a 30-year-old man from Assin Fosu has taken a new turn after a woman linked to persons arrested in connection with his detention accused him of being involved in a GH¢44,800 mobile money and bank fraud.

Bismark Amoh was widely reported to have been kidnapped on September 6, 2026, with his alleged captors demanding GH¢45,000 for his release before he was rescued by police in Ghana’s Ashanti Region.

Several people were subsequently arrested in connection with his alleged detention.

But Afia Adutwumwaa, whose sister is among those in police custody, has disputed the initial account, saying the events that led to Bismark being in Kumasi began with an alleged fraud against her sister three days earlier.

Speaking to journalists in Kumasi on Sunday September 13, 2026, Afia alleged that her sister, a teacher, lost GH¢24,800 from her mobile money wallet and a further GH¢20,000 from her Ecobank account on 3 September.

She said the incident began when her sister received a call from a person claiming that GH¢1,000 had mistakenly been transferred to her mobile money account.

The caller was later followed by a woman who identified herself as “Emmanuella” and allegedly claimed to work with telecommunications company MTN Ghana.

According to Afia, the woman told her sister that an attempt had been detected to access her mobile money account and instructed her to reset her one-time password and forward messages received during the process.

The caller allegedly subsequently claimed that the victim’s mobile money account was linked to her bank account and asked her to provide digits from her ATM card.

Afia said her sister realised about two hours later that a total of GH¢44,800 had been taken from her accounts.

The family then sought assistance from information technology specialists to trace telephone numbers allegedly used in the transactions.

Afia said one of the numbers was traced to Bismark.

She alleged that a woman was then used to contact Bismark and lure him to Kumasi under the impression that he was going to meet someone he had encountered online.

Upon his arrival, Afia said, he was confronted over the alleged fraud and videos were recorded during what she described as a citizen’s arrest.

Some of the videos were later circulated online.

Afia further alleged that Bismark admitted involvement in the transaction during the confrontation and promised to contact associates to arrange for the money to be returned.

She said he mentioned several people allegedly connected to the operation, including a man identified as Chino, whom she described as a suspected leader, as well as his wife, Ceci, and others identified as Naomi and Dawuda.

Afia said GH¢5,000 was subsequently sent by people associated with Bismark, followed by a further GH¢14,500 the next day.

The payments amounted to GH¢19,500, leaving GH¢25,300 of the alleged GH¢44,800 loss outstanding.

She said the family later stopped pursuing the remaining money after Bismark pleaded with them not to report the matter to police and assured them that he would repay the balance.

“He was escorted to the Assin Fosu station, where he was given money to return,” she said.

“For us, we gave up on the matter.”

The allegations could not independently be verified, and it was not immediately clear whether police investigations had established any connection between Bismark and the alleged GH¢44,800 fraud.

The case has nevertheless raised questions about the circumstances surrounding Bismark’s presence in Kumasi and his subsequent detention.

Initial reports had portrayed him as a kidnapping victim, with his family allegedly reporting that he was being held against his will and that GH¢45,000 was being demanded for his release.

Reports also indicated that GH¢19,500 had been mobilised in connection with the alleged ransom.

Afia disputes that interpretation, saying the GH¢19,500 was instead partial repayment of the money allegedly taken from her sister’s accounts.

Relatives of those arrested are now calling for a comprehensive investigation into the alleged fraud, the telephone numbers used in the transactions, the movement of the money and the circumstances surrounding Bismark’s detention.

They say such an investigation is necessary to establish whether the people arrested were involved in a kidnapping or were instead attempting to recover money allegedly lost through fraud.

Police have yet to publicly establish, based on the account provided, the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

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