Burkinabe National arrested in Assin Fosu for human trafficking

The Central North Regional Police Command on Sunday rescued seven foreign nationals who had been trafficked under false pretences by a suspect named Zongo Jeon-Baptiste, a 35-year-old Burkinabe.

The victims—two females and five males from Mali, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, and Burkina Faso—were found confined in a house at Pump-Side, a suburb of Assin Fosu in the Central Region.

The Central North Regional Police Commander, who confirmed the arrest to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said the victims had been lured with false job promises linked to QNET, an international online marketing company, but were being held under suspicious conditions.

The rescue followed a tip-off on Sunday, June 1, 2025, which led to the arrest of eight individuals, including Zongo Jeon-Baptiste.

The victims have since been released and are assisting with further investigations, while the suspect remains in police custody on charges of human trafficking and defrauding by false pretence.

This incident is part of a broader pattern of human trafficking and cybercrime operations in Ghana, where victims from various West African countries are lured with job promises and then exploited, often in cybercrime-related activities.

Similar large-scale rescues have occurred recently, involving hundreds of victims and multiple arrests. However, the Command has vowed to dismantle such human trafficking networks, particularly in the region.