Okay FM imposter arrested for fraud

A young man believed to be in his early 30s, is in the grips of the police for allegedly posing as a journalist from Okay FM – an Accra-based radio station – ostensibly to defraud unsuspecting taxi drivers.

George Tetteh is alleged to have been collecting various amounts of money from taxi drivers whenever he hired their services.

The suspect had allegedly defrauded various taxi drivers until last Friday when one of his victims spotted him in another taxi in front of the police headquarters in Accra and caused his arrest.

He has been handed over to the Nima police for investigation and prosecution.

An eyewitness account indicates that Tetteh, who claims to be working with Okay FM, picked the taxis from various locations to Abeka Junction, where the radio station is located.

Half way through the journey, Tetteh will then tell the driver to give him some money to buy something in a shop before they continue the journey.

When he enters the said shop, he never comes back, leaving the driver still waiting.

He escaped without paying the fare and the money collected from the driver is pocketed.

Two taxi drivers have since identified the suspect as the one who defrauded them.

Peter Adattor, a TV3 reporter who was at the scene when Tetteh was arrested, said he (Tetteh) alighted from a taxi at about 11.30 am at a bus stop in front of the police headquarters after allegedly borrowing GHc40 from the driver under the pretext of conducting a quick business.

He maintained that Tetteh had at that time used the services of the cabbie for nearly four hours and was charged GHc40.

He was said to have told the cabbie to wait while he dashed to an office in the vicinity for some quick transaction.

Just then, another taxi driver, who had parked to pick a commuter, grabbed him from behind, demanding that he pay back his service fee and money he took from him on Wednesday, August 26, 2015.

Mr Adattor said the second driver narrated that Tetteh hired his services that fateful day for nearly six hours without paying anything.

“George also took GHc50 from him under the pretext of doing a quick business but failed to return,” Adattor asserted.

After waiting for some time without Tetteh returning, the driver said he went to Okay Fm to look for him but he was told no employee by name Tetteh works there.

Apparently, it was the same story George Tetteh had told the other victim whose services he had hired from East Legon at about 8.00 am before his arrest.

Investigations by this paper revealed that George had been in the business for quite a long time and that he has a similar case being investigated at the Dansoman Police Station.