Police arrests seven persons for alleged fake insurance claims

Kumasi, July 15, GNA - Personnel from the Crime Intelligence Unit of Ashanti Regional Police Command have arrested seven persons for attempting to defraud management of the Adum branch of Star Assurance Company Limited.

The seven including two women, were alleged to have prepared fictitious medical and police reports and presented them to the company to claim about 30,000 Ghana cedis as compensation from an accident they were allegedly involved on the Ejura-Nkoranza road in the Brong-Ahafo region.

They were Afua Sarpong, a resident of Kumasi, Rudolf Osei from Offinso, Isaac Owusu from Techiman, Kwabena Konadu from Ejura and Rabiatu Mansah, from Asante-Mampong.

The rest were Kwasi Obeng Ayarkwa of Anomanye in Kumasi and Osei Owusu, an agent of the claimants.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Bright Oduro, Ashanti Regional Crime Officer, who confirmed this to Ghana News Agency did not give details, but said the police was investigating the case. He said the police was also investigating the authenticity of both the medical and police reports.

The police reports were allegedly prepared by Ejura police and the medical reports by medical practitioners at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi.

However, Mr Eldon M.A. Otu, Ashanti Regional Area Manager of the Company, said sometime in September last year, Ayarkwa and Rabiatu submitted claims for processing in an accident involving an Asia Cosmos bus with registration number GR 8826 N on the Ejura-Nkoranza road. He said in June this year, Afua Sarpong, Rudolf Osei, Isaac Owusu and Kwabena Konadu also put in claims for compensation on the same accident. Mr Otu said after a careful study of the police and medical reports as well as the sworn affidavits as part of the normal routine investigations on claims, it was detected that one person used the same typewriter to type all the documents while the address of all the claimants were also the same as that of the agent, Osei Owusu. It was also discovered that the reports were photocopied before the medical and police officers signed them.

Mr Otu said the company's investigators became suspicious and wrote to the Chief Executive Officer of KATH to confirm the authenticity of the medical reports.

He said KATH authorities denied any knowledge of the reports and that heightened the suspicion of the investigators. Mr Otu said the police was informed about the deal and called the suspects to come to the company's offices last Thursday, July 12 to collect their claims. He said on their arrival, the police arrested them for investigations. 15 July 07