Two men busted for defrauding with shady NGO

The Kasoa Divisional Police Command has apprehended two out of five persons who were allegedly using their non­-governmental organization (NGO) to defraud some communities in the Central and the Western Regions.

The suspects are James Yeboah, 31-year-old admin­istrator and Augustine Mensah, 25, manager of the NGO called United King­dom Organization.

The three others now at large are Madam Lily, a white woman believed to be the executive director of the NGO; Kofi Isaac, man­aging director and Prince Asante, a supervisor.

They were said to have collected various sums of money from unsuspecting people in communities like Kuntunase, Akurasi, Panfokrom, Sefwi Wiawso, Akraman, Asawinso and Obuase.

The suspects allegedly collected cash ranging from ?10 to ?40 using some recruited agents after promising the victims sta­tioneries and foodstuffs such as rice and oil.

James Yeboah and Augustine Mensah were apprehended when some of their victims reported the matter to the police.

Confirming the story to Daily Guide ACP Joseph Oklu Gyamera, Kasoa Divisional Com­mander, said the police received reports of the sus­pects' activities sometime last year.

The woman, whose name was only given as Lily came into the country to establish a United King­dom Scholarship with the help of the four oth­ers with the aim of assisting the poor and the needy in the communities.

She then recruited some agents who went round the villages to collect moneys from individuals, including the aged, as registration fees.

The aged persons who signed on to the false programme were promised rice and oil, while school children and the unem­ployed were also promised assistance to establish their own businesses.

After taking the mon­eys from the victims, the suspects allegedly van­ished and were not seen again until the rural folks started to attack the agents.

When the matter was reported and some of the agents were arrested, it came to light that they were only employed to col­lect the money for a monthly fee of ?400.

After working for six months they claimed that the managers paid them for only one month and bolted.

The agents said they often sent the monies col­lected to their employers through mobile money transfers.

When the suspects' telephone numbers were called by the police, they realized that their phones were constantly switched off.

On February 15, 2016, police had information that the suspects were hiding in a hotel at Kasoa and raided the place.

The white lady, togeth­er with two others, man­aged to escape but the two others were apprehended to assist the police to inves­tigate the matter.

According to the police, individuals who had been defrauded could also make a report at the Kasoa Divi­sional Police Command.