Joint police and intelligence operation team at the weekend arrested Ebenezer Dasi, also known as (A.k.a) Kasim, for allegedly defrauding an Accra-based auctioneer.
Kasim, 33, suspect, was alleged to have swindled, Kwame Asante, a licensed auctioneer of GH¢1. 3 million, $20,000 and €5,000 with the promise of supplying him with quantities of petroleum products.
Kasim was arrested during the funeral of his late mother, at Akpagblonya, in the Ada West District of the Greater Accra Region.
He was however, released following the intervention of the head of his family and a man, who introduced himself as his personal lawyer.
Kasim was made to surrender his passport to personnel of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) while the family head whose name was not readily available at the time of filing the story, was made to sign an undertaken to produce him at the police headquarters today.
Briefing the Ghanaian Times over the arrest, Detective Corporal (Cpl) Rudolf Abu Bonsrah, who led the operation, said Kasim was arrested at the funeral because had been playing hide and seek with the police for more than one year.
Cpl Bonsrah said that after collecting the monies, Kasim claimed to be an oil merchant, failed to supply the products and went into hiding.
Cpl Bonsrah explained that the decision to release Kasim upon his arrest was to avert chaos and to allow the final funeral rites of his late mother to continue.
Meanwhile, Mr Asante, the
victim, has described the arrest of Kasim as a major breakthrough for the police who have been on his heels for months.
He said that in March 2021, the National Security contracted him as a licensed auctioneer to auction quantities of oil that had been seized.
Mr Asante said in the course of performing his duty, Kasim approached him and introduced himself to him as the owner of the consignment, which had been seized for lack of proper documentation.
Mr Asante said after performing his duty, Kasim approached him and said he could help him get into the oil business if he was interested in it.
According Mr Asante, upon persistent appeal from Kasim, he decided to give the deal try.
“Kasim informed me that he had another consignment that was on the high seas and to avoid a brush with the law, I could partner him to work out the documents so that when the goods arrive and it is sold we would share the profit.
BY CLIFF EKUFUL
