Fake phone dealers in trouble
Ten persons believed to be members of a gang selling fake phones to unsuspecting customers have been charged with fraud before an Accra Magistrate’s court.
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Frederick K. Brown, Rockson Sarfoh, Prince Owusu, Nana Osei, Sistus Kweku, Abdul Rahman Aziz, Yaw Appiah, Abu Razzak, Baba Amadu and Kwabena Odame, between the ages of 16-30 years, have been charged with defrauding under false pretences.
They all pleaded not guilty and were granted bail in the sum of GH₵2,000 with two sureties each.
Presenting the facts of the case to the court, presided over by Mr James Kojo Botah, Chief Inspector Gregory Yeboah said the complainants were police personnel from the Police Headquarters in Accra and the accused persons comprised porters, driver’s mate and petty traders, all staying at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
C/Inspector Yeboah said on July 8, 2016 at about 12:30 p.m., the police officers were on board their vehicle from the police training school at Tesano heading towards Cantonments.
On reaching circle, they spotted Brown engaged in a fight with one Joseph Smith, a witness.
According to C/Inspector Yeboah, the officers stopped in order to separate them and calm tempers.
On the spot enquiries made by the police revealed that Brown and his accomplices collected a phone together with a cash of GH₵400 from Smith under the pretext of selling another phone to him, but Brown fled.
Prosecutor Yeboah said Smith managed to arrest Brown which resulted in a scuffle.
Yeboah said Smith led the police to the spot where Brown and the other accused persons were said to have been using fake mobile phones to defraud unsuspecting people.
He said after their arrest, nine mobile phones were retrieved from them.
Modus Operandi
C/Inspector Yeboah said investigations revealed that the culprits normally stood at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle pavement with genuine mobile phones for sale, but ended up offering refurbished ones to their unsuspecting customers.
Their modus operandi was that after showing the new phone, they would collect it from the buyer under the pretext of packaging it properly, and in the process, swap it with fake phones and then flee.
Upon interrogation, all the suspects disowned the mobile phones retrieved from them with the exception of Razzak and Odame who failed to produce receipts to cover the genuine ones.