A 23-year-old small-scale miner, Ahmed Abdul Rahaman, has been fined GH¢12,000 or, in default, faces a six-year jail term after tricking two mobile money vendors into transferring a total of GH¢8,000 into his account under false pretences.
The Tarkwa Circuit Court, presided over by Mrs. Hathia Ama Manu, found Rahaman guilty of four counts of receiving payments through electronic means falsely.
The court further ordered him to refund the GH¢8,000 to the victims, Evelyn Lartey and Prince Appiah, both mobile money vendors at Wassa Asikuma in the Wassa Amenfi East Municipality.
According to Chief Superintendent of Police Alex Odonkor, the incident occurred on April 10, 2024, during the Eid ul-Fitr celebrations.
Rahaman approached Evelyn Lartey at her mobile money business and requested a GH¢1,000 transfer to an MTN mobile money account registered under the name Sadick Abdulai Baafi.
After the first transaction, he convinced her to make two additional transfers of GH¢1,000 and GH¢2,000, promising that his brother would deliver GH¢4,000 in physical cash to settle the debt.
When Evelyn realised she had been deceived, Rahaman left, promising to retrieve the cash from his house but never returned.
Rahaman employed the same tactic with Prince Appiah, convincing him to transfer GH¢2,000 twice to the same account with the assurance that his brother was on the way with the money. After receiving the funds, Rahaman disappeared, leaving Appiah waiting.
Appiah, upon realising the fraud, visited Rahaman’s residence and encountered Evelyn, who was also there accusing him of defrauding her. Together, they apprehended Rahaman and handed him over to the Wassa Akropong police.
During police investigations, Rahaman admitted to using the funds to gamble on the aviator game, hoping to win enough to refund the victims. However, he lost the money.
Rahaman pleaded guilty with an explanation, which the court found consistent with his admission of guilt.
The judge sentenced him to pay a fine of GH¢12,000 or serve a six-year jail term if he defaults. Additionally, he was ordered to refund the GH¢8,000 to the complainants.
