?DSP? Mohammed Abu
An unemployed man, who succeeded in taking an amount of GH?12,000 and electrical gadgets from unsuspecting victims who want to be recruited into the Police Service, under the guise of recruiting them into the service, has been arraigned before an Accra Circuit Court.
The accused person, Mohammed Abu was put before a court presided over by Mrs. Patience Mills-Tetteh where he was charged with falsely pretending to be a public officer, six counts of defrauding by false pretences and three counts of fictitious trading.
He has denied any wrongdoing and has been remanded in police custody to re-appear in on October 24, 2012.
The prosecuting officer who presented the facts of the case, Chief Inspector Charles Chester told the court that the complainants were traders and security officers whilst the accused person was unemployed.
He said for some time now, the accused person has been introducing himself to traders, shop owners, and security officers in Accra that he was a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).
According to him, Abu claimed he was stationed at the National Police Headquarters with his office on the third floor of the building and consequently told them that he had been tasked to recruit drivers into the service.
The police officer stated that the accused person managed to persuade his victims to part with various sums of money, adding that he collected a sum of GH?3,100 from Mohammed Yusif and 3,170 from Moses Anibaturo Nabare in June 2012.
He noted that the unemployed man also collected GH?1,200 from Ishmael Dadzie, GH?1,000 and Isaac Golightly to recruit them into the Police Service after collecting two passport-sized photographs and drivers licenses as well as certificates from each of them.
The prosecutor stated that Abu later collected GH?400 from Bernard Tetteh, a security officer with the Judicial Service, to auction a motorbike to him from the Police Headquarters.
Furthermore, the police officer observed that the suspect later introduced himself as Inspector Adams at the Visa and Frauds Unit at the Police Headquarters and collected three Sony Digital Cameras from Golightly valued at GH? 1,4500.
He explained that Abu also took GH?1,200 worth of mobile phones and cameras and another set of mobile phones and gadgets worth GH?1,600 from Splendy Okla and promised to pay back when the Visa and Fraud Unit paid him.
In addition, he said after collecting the money the suspect went into hiding at One Stone Guest House at a suburb of Tabora and stayed there till his arrest.
Explaining further, when a search was conducted in his room eight copies of recruitment application forms with 13 blank police extract forms and birth certificates of prospective applicants were found.
Mr. Chester stated that copies of educational certificates of applicants and copies of dismissal letters of some dismissed policemen and three passport seized photographs of prospective applicants were also found.
By Fidelia Achama
