4 human traffickers arrested

Four persons, including a travel and tour business operator, have been arrested by the police in the Western Region for an alleged attempt to traffic some ladies from the Sefwi area of the region to some countries.

The four suspects are Yeboah George, 22, an employee of Paradise Travel and Tour at Madina in Accra; Michael Mbrah, 25, an excavator operator at Sefwi; Joel Kwame Nsowaa Ankrah, a chef at Red Carpet Restaurant in Accra and Livingstone Defor, managing director of Paradise Travel and Tour.

The four were subsequently hauled before the Takoradi Circuit Court ‘B’. Their pleas were not taken and the court, presided over by Michael Cudjoe Ntumi, remanded them into prison custody to reappear on August 8, 2016.

Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Indozi Addo told the court that the complainant in the case was the Unit Committee Chairman of Wassa Juabo Area 7, near Sefwi Bekwai in the region.

She indicated that during the month of July this year, the first accused person, who is an agent of Paradise Travel and Tour in Accra, went to the 2nd accused person at Juabo and they both managed to recruit some ladies in the area to be trafficked.

The victims are Barakisu Issakah, 32; Georgina Ahordzor, 29; Felicia Ayaba, 22 and two others from Area 7 community and its environs. They were later transported to Accra by the second accused person.

“The victims met one Hajia, a worker at the travel and tour company who explained the details about the journey and types of work the victims would do,” the prosecutor indicated.

She continued that the said Hajia explained to the ladies that she sends people to countries all over the world, but the commonest ones are China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Dubai and the United States of America.

Chief Inspector Addo added that the victims were made to pay an amount of GHC100.00 each to undergo medical examination and processing of their travel documents.

On July 29, 2016, the first accused person went to the second accused again at Juabo to recruit more ladies, the prosecutor said.

But this time round the accused persons made an announcement at a local information centre that their travel and tour company wanted interested people from the ages of 20 to 35 to be taken abroad.

According to Chief Inspector Indozi Addo, elders of the town heard the information and called the recruiters and demanded documents to prove their claim.

The accused persons could not produce any document and were arrested, handed over to the police at Juabo and were later sent to the Sefwi Bekwai police station.

On August 1, 2016, the 4th accused person heard the story and asked the 3rd accused to accompany him to the police station where they were also arrested.

A search conducted in a bag of the 4th accused person revealed one biometric passport, seven police criminal checks report, quantities of medical examination report, First Choice Travel and Tour ‘Work Abroad’ application forms and other travel documents.

After investigations, the four suspects were charged with conspiracy and human trafficking and put before the court.