Court remands woman swindler in prison custody

Ejisu (Ash), Sept. 23, GNA- A 37-year-old unemployed, Margaret Dwamena Emma, alias Benedicta Barfour, a resident of Sepe-Timpom in Kumasi, was on Tuesday remanded in custody by the Ejisu district court for defrauding by false pretences and issuing a dud cheque. She pleaded not guilty and will re-appear on October 13.

Police Inspector Nkansa Twumasi Ankrah, told the court that on August 27, this year, the accused approached one George Koomson, a businessman at Kwadaso in Kumasi who also owns a shop at Ejisu to buy building materials.

The prosecution said the accused bought 300 bags of cement and five tonnes of iron rods valued at 36.9 million cedis from Mr Koomson's shop. The accused issued an Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) cheque for the goods and took them away.

Inspector Ankrah said when Mr Koomson went to cash the money, he was told that the accused had no accounts at the bank.

He said Mr Koomson lodged a complaint with the Ejisu police and on August 28 the police went to the house of one Abubakari Busanga at Jamase near Ejisu where the items had been deposited.

Inspector Ankrah said the accused was found on September 11, at about 1230 hrs at Ejisu in a pick up carrying a quantity of iron rods and she was arrested.