Musician arrested over visa fraud

Ace gospel musician, Nicholas Omane Acheapong, aka ?Tabita cum? was at the weekend arrested at his hide out at the Preaston Park Hotel, Tema community one, by the community two police for an alleged visa fraud.

Some documents The Chronicle sighted suggest that Tabita Cum had defrauded four people between 2002 and 2003, to the tune of ?155,940,000.00 million under the pretext of securing visas for them to travel to Europe.

One of the victims, Augustine Opoku, alleged that in June 2003, Omane Acheapong informed him that he had a show to perform in Germany so he could secure him a Germany visa at the cost of $3,700, which he duly paid.

According to him, Nicholas introduced three other people as some members of the team who would be travelling with them on the trip in July, 2004.

To his utmost surprise however, the boys informed him that they had paid Nicholas various sums of money, including ?51,000,000, ?32,000,000,and ?36,000,000 since 2002 on his promise to send them to various destinations in Europe, to no avail.

Another victim who spoke to The Chronicle on condition of anonymity, alleged that Omane, in one of his tricks, took him to the airport, only to be told that his flight had left, so his visa had expired.

The victims alleged that after persistent postponing of their impending trip, they became fed up and demanded their money in November 2003.

The P&P newspaper had published in November last year that, Tabita Cum had turned into a visa contractor while he was away in Europe but on his return, he never bothered to refund his victim?s money, nor secure their visas for them.

Augustine Opoku, one of the victims, filed a writ at the Tema District Magistrate Court (Tema White House) in June this year to retrieve his money.

A source at the police station told The Chronicle that Nicholas Omane Acheampong was said to have refused to appear at the court on the date of hearing, so a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

He, however, went into hiding with the intention to fly out from the country only to be arrested at the Preaston Park Hotel through an informant.

In an interview with The Chronicle, the police personnel on duty at Tema Community Two, Corporal L.Nyanyo and Lance Corporal Owusu confirmed that he was in the station?s custody but refused to say what alleged offence he had been arrested for.

The Divisional Commander of Police, Tema Community Two, Chief Superintendent John Nami could not talk on Sunday. ?He cannot talk to you today. Sunday is not an official working day in Ghana,? said the two police personnel on duty, curtly.