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A
Fire Service Officer has been arrested for allegedly duping more than
40 people on the pretext of getting them recruited into various security
services including the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority
(GRA).
Mark Sarfo Adjei, 36, who took various sums of money from
his victims, mostly unemployed graduates from senior high schools and
tertiary institutions, as processing fees, is said to have collected a
total of GH¢44,100 from 22 of his victims.
He is also being held by the Korle Bu District Police Command for processing fake travel documents.
Adjei,
who has been on the police wanted list since 2012, was arrested after
he was identified by a pastor, George Addai Boateng, through whom the
suspect had collected money from the youth of his church to assist them
to get enlisted into the security service.
Recruitment at church
The
Korle Bu District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police
(DSP) Peter Yembillah, said Adjei was arrested on December 8, 2018 “when
he was spotted by the pastor at a spot near the Korle Bu Teaching
Hospital (KBTH) in Accra”.
He said Pastor Boateng told the police
that Adjei had introduced himself as an official of the Ghana National
Fire Service (GNFS) and that he could help the youth of his church to be
enlisted into the GNFS, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Ghana Immigration
Service (GIS), and the Customs Division of the GRA.
Subsequently,
Mr Yembillah said, Pastor Boateng mobilised the youth of his church who
needed employment and had shown interest in joining the security
agencies.
At the church, he said, 22 persons paid various amounts
to Adjei to help them join the GNFS, eight also paid to gain
recruitment into the GAF, while eight others also paid money to be
recruited into the Customs Division of the GRA.
Additionally,
three other persons have reported to the police since the arrest of
Adjei that the suspect had collected a total of GH¢1,700 from them to
assist them to gain employment with the GNFS.
Suspect deserted post
Mr
Yembillah said the police, as part of investigations, called at the
regional headquarters of the GFS where the commanding officer, D02
Olivia Ayem, confirmed that Adjei was an employee of the service but he
had deserted his post for sometime now.
According to Mr
Yembillah, Ms Ayem said Adjei stopped reporting for duty following his
transfer to the Weija District Fire Office, where it was revealed that
he had been collecting money from people on the pretext of helping to
recruit them into the security agencies.
“A report on his conduct has been forwarded to the GNFS Headquarters awaiting action,” he said.
During
interrogation, Mr Yembillah said, Adjei admitted collecting various
sums of money from his victims but could neither state the exact number
of people he had allegedly defrauded nor the total amount of money he
had collected from them.
He urged people who had fallen victim to
the scam to report to the Korle Bu police to assist with investigations
into the matter. |
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