One more suspect arrested in connection with GH¢46.1m bank theft

One more suspect has been arrested by the police in connection with hacking into a bank and attempted to transfer GH¢46, 129,473 to eight individuals in different banks.

Aisha Konatey, an Ivorian woman, is currently in the custody of the police assisting in investigations, the Director of the Cybercrime Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Dr Gustav Herbert Yankson, told the Ghanaian Times in Accra, yesterday.

He said Aisha was arrested after investigations revealed that she sent text message to one of the suspects that the money was in his account.

ACP Yankson said the police have mounted a search for the arrest of two others, Boateng Mends, and one other identified as “Pussy Cat” who was on the run.

The Ghanaian Times in its Wednesday, July 15, 2020, issue reported that six people, who allegedly hacked into a bank and attempted to transfer GH¢46, 129,473 to eight individuals in different banks have been arrested by the police.

They are Hudu Abdul Mumuni, Emmanuel Adams, Moro Issah, Agbenu Fefous Chrissy, Sam Acquah, a former banker and owner of Adom Sika Savings and Loans Limited and James Taylor, a web developer.

ACP Yankson said on July 2, 2020, a petition was received by the unit from the management of the bank (name withheld) that someone remotely logged into the banking software and used the login credentials of some staff that were on leave to transfer the money to eight individuals of different banks.

He said on July 3, Mumuni was arrested at First Atlantic Bank at Ridge, Adams at Fidelity Bank at Madina, while Issah and Chrissy were apprehended at Dansoman when they showed up to withdraw money transferred from the bank.

ACP Yankson said on July 2, between 1 am and 10 am 13 fake swift transactions with some initiated outside working hours were fraudulently made to the accounts of eight people.

He said the management of the bank detected the fraudulent activity and disabled the SWIFT to prevent the further transfer and all banks involved were quickly alerted to prevent withdrawals.

ACP Yankson said a forensic examination of the devices retrieved from suspects indicated that Mends and Pussy Cat were part of the syndicate.

He said the suspects were currently on police enquiry bail while investigations were ongoing.