Court remands herbalist for fraud

Kumasi, Nov. 12, GNA- A Kumasi circuit court on Tuesday remanded a 29-year-old self-styled herbalist in prison custody for defrauding a communication centre attendant of 12 million cedis. Alhaji Yusif, who pleaded not guilty, will re-appear on November 17.

Police Chief Inspector Dassana Alhassan told the court, presided over by Mr Emmanuel Kwasi Mensah that on October 14, this year, the accused who paraded himself as a herbalist, approached Fati Seidu, the centre attendant at Kronom, near Kumasi and told her that he had seen some evil spirits around her for which they needed to be exorcised. He said Fati became even more frightened when the accused told her that and she pleaded for something to be done about the situation. Chief Inspector Alhassan said to enable the accused perform the "rituals" Fati gave him 500,000 cedis so that she could stay alive.

He said the accused returned three days later to tell her that the evil spirits following her were so powerful that he would have to fortify himself well before exorcising them and consequently demanded an amount of 11.5 million cedis to enable him to accomplish the work. Chief Inspector Alhassan said in her anxiety to pay the amount and stay alive, Fati parted with the money and that the accused after collecting the money went into hiding.

He said when it dawned on Fati that she had been duped, she lodged a complaint with the police who arrested Yusif.