Man busted for posing as military officer
A man who posed as a military officer at the Military Police Detachment of the Third Infantry Battalion, Liberation Barracks, Sunyani is in police grip.
At the time of his arrest in Sunyani, Jerry Fiifi Medicci, believed to be in his 40s, was in possession of items believed to have been obtained from the Office of the President, the police have stated.
According to the police, Medicci posed as a military officer with the rank of a Major, ostensibly to assist some applicants who were taking part in the Ghana Prisons Service (GPS) enlistment exercise at the Sunyani Central Prisons on June 7, 2018.
Medicci, who faked his identity as Nana Kofi Hota, also claimed to be a medical student at the Havanna State University in Cuba.
Suspicion
The prison officers who were conducting the enlistment exercise suspected Medicci’s claims due to his demeanour and informed the commanding officer of the Third Infantry Battalion, who then instructed the prison officers to arrest him.
He was, therefore, arrested and later handed over to the Sunyani police for further investigations.
A search on him revealed two identity cards with registration numbers 20040 and T0257, both bearing his fake name Nana Kofi Hota but with different ranks of Captain and Major.
Other items found on him were a National Health Insurance identity (ID) card bearing his name and photo and an envelope containing West African Examinations Council (WAEC) certificates and GPS enlistment forms of some unidentified persons.
Police briefing
The Brong Ahafo Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Chief Inspector Augustine Kingsley Oppong, told the Daily Graphic that all the ID cards and photos found on Medicci showed him in military uniform.
According to him, Medicci admitted during initial interrogation that he was not a military officer and gave his proper name as Jerry Fiifi Medicci and not Nana Kofi Hota as stated on the military ID card.
Chief Inspector Oppong said the police were investigating the matter and called on the public to assist the police with information that could lead to the arrest of other criminals.
He added that the police took the suspect to Thomelia Guest House at Techiman where he was lodging, where a search in his room revealed some military uniforms with the rank of Major and the name Hota embossed on them, one military beret, two caps, one pistol holster, and two insignias of the ranks of Captain and Major.
Chief Inspector Oppong named the other items that were found in the room as two military T-shirts and one military bayonet, all believed to be the property of the Ghana Armed Forces, as well as some envelopes containing online application forms of the police and the Ghana Immigration Service, as well as WAEC certificates belonging to some unidentified persons.
He said the suspect was in police custody, as well as all the items retrieved from him, while investigations were underway to find out his reason for posing as a military officer.