Insurance agent, girlfriend arrested for dealing in fake currency

Koforidua, June 23, GNA- An Insurance agent, Alex Asiedu and his girlfriend, Victoria Ayebea, are in police custody for dealing in fake currency.

One Frederick Opoku believed to be part of the deal is on the run. Briefing the Ghana News Agency (GNA) during the weekend, the Koforidua District Commander of Police, DSP John Naami, said, on June 19, this year, the suspects attended a funeral at Asuoyaa, a village near Okorase in the Akuapem North District and decided to pass the night with Opoku at the village.

He said, in the evening, the suspect and Opoku bought 8,000 cedis worth of kenkey on credit from the daughter of a kenkey seller nearby. The girl later informed the mother that the accused and Opoku had bought kenkey on credit, after which the mother ordered her go for the money immediately.

According to DSP Naami, Asiedu gave the girl a 10,000 cedi note to be given to the mother but it turned out to be fake a note. The kenkey seller reported the incident to the assembly member of the area, who led the woman to lodge a complainant at the police station.

DSP Naami said his men were dispached to arrest the culprits who were found at a drinking bar and had paid for their drinks with fake notes.

The drinking bar owner only detected that the note was fake when the police apprehended the accused for buying with a counterfeit note earlier.

Upon interrogation, the suspect alleged that Ayebea who deals in phone cards in Accra gave the notes to him. The suspect also indicated that, on reaching the village, he also detected that the notes were different from the normal 10,000 cedi notes. Ayebea who was later arrested when she came to visit the suspect explained to the police that the notes were part of an amount of 300,000 cedis someone used in paying for 4 phone cards of areeba purchased from her. He said when the suspect approached her for money to attend a funeral she gave out almost all the money to him to enable him to attend the funeral without detecting that it was a counterfeit. 22 June 07