Crime

4 granted GH₵21m bail over alleged attempt to defraud bank

An Accra Circuit Court has granted GH₵6 million bail with three sureties to Stephen Arthur over an alleged attempt to defraud a Commercial Bank of GH₵2,100,000.00 belonging to customers.

The court ordered that the sureties should be justified with landed property.

Three accomplices, Nicholas Gyekye, Ahmed Ansah and Daniel Kodzi, were also granted GH₵5 million bail each with three sureties to be justified with landed property.The accomplices have denied conspiring to defraud and steal the amount.

Additionally, Arthur, Ansah, Gyekye and Kodzi are facing the charge of operating an organised criminal group, which they have denied.

Prosecuting, Mr Leo Anthony Siamah told the court presided over by Mrs Ellen OffeiAyeh that on January 24, 2022, Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO)worker received information from personnel of the bank that some persons were demanding from him details of customers to perpetrate fraud.

MrSiamahsaid the informant was instructed by management of the bank to liaise with those persons to find out what they wanted and intended to do with the details.

The court heard Arthur contacted Gyekye, requesting help to contact a worker of the bank, who could provide bank account details of customers in order to withdraw funds from their account.

Mr Siamah said consequently, the bank staff was contacted by Gyekye on WhatsApp and phone, and Gyekye asked the staff to get him phone numbers and bank account details of customers with huge monies.

Prosecution said the bank staff met Arthur and Gyekye at the Accra Mall, on March 17, 2022, to discuss the modus operandi.

Mr Siamahsaid Gyekye mentioned that he had contact persons at a telecom company, who could assist to clone phone numbers that the informant might brought to him.

Prosecution told the court that Gyekye also mentioned that his friend, Destiny, had a girlfriend, who had been cloning SIM cards for another syndicate involved in the same fraud scheme.

The court heard that Arthur and Gyekye agreed with the bank staff that he would provide three phone numbers (customers) with huge monies in their bank account.

Prosecution said on March 28, 2022, the informant gave accused three phone numbers :059966257,0256586172,0551107747 belonging to Ransford Nana Addo, AmaOfosuKusiAddo and Jessica EshunAbabio, respectively, to clone.

MrSiamahsaid Ansah gave the phone numbers to Kodzi to clone, so that Arthur, Gyekye ,Ansah and Kodzicould steal GH¢ 850,000, GH¢ 680,000 and GHC 570,000 respectively from the accounts.

The prosecution said on March 31, 2022, Gyekye sent the informant a WhatsApp message that they had been able to clone the SIM cards through the help of Ansah and Kodzi.

Prosecution said Arthur and Gyekye agreed to meet the staff on April 4, 2022, to set up a mobile application with the clone SIM cards to withdraw the monies.

Mr Siamah said while setting up the application at the Achimota Mall, the gang was arrested by EOCO officers. -GNA

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