Kumasi, Feb. 1, GNA-A Kumasi circuit court on Friday remanded a 70-year-old retired driver in prison custody for fraud. Mahamadu Alhassan, who pleaded guilty to the charge was said to have collected a total of 27.5 million cedis from three persons under the pretext of sending them abroad.
He will re-appear on February 9.
Mamuda Adam, an auto electrician paid 11.5 million cedis, while Abdul Rauf, electronic technician, paid 11 million cedis and Baba Musah, another electrician also paid five million cedis.
Police Chief Inspector Agnes Dinkyini told the court, presided over by Mr. Essel Mensah that on March 7, 2003, Rauf repaired the accused's television set for him.
She said, in a bid to show his appreciation to Rauf for the work done for him, Alhassan promised to ensure that his son whom he claimed was returning from Japan sent him abroad.
Chief Inspector Dinkyini said through Rauf, Adam and Musah got to know the accused when they also showed interest in going abroad and so they also paid various sums of money to him.
She said the purported son who turned out to be a distant relative never returned from Japan and when the three complainants realised that they could not go abroad, they demanded their money but the accused could not refund it.
Chief Inspector Dinkyini said they therefore made a complaint to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, which led to the arrest of Alhassan, but they could only get 1.5 million cedis from him.
