Two in BNI grips for attempted fraud

Aflao (Volta Region) -- Personnel of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) have arrested two suspected fraudsters at a hotel at Aflao before they could sell a mixture of sand and brass as gold dust to a Ghanaian businessman.

They are Edward Dennis Norch, 61, and Ebenezer Aidoo, alias Kwegyir, 56. A BNI source told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Aflao that the suspects offered to sell gold dust to Mr Godfred Wotortsi, a businessman from Agbozume, for 40 million cedis. Mr Wotortsi, who had been duped in similar circumstances, feigned interest in the deal, fixed last Thursday to meet the fraudsters and alerted the BNI.

He met Norch and Aidoo at the hotel as planned and as he exchanged a briefcase supposed to contain money with three small sacks containing the ''gold dust'' BNI operatives emerged and picked the suspected fraudsters. The source said Aidoo, during interrogation, confessed to the crime and said he had duped two white men under similar circumstances.