B/R: Eight arrested in Sunyani over alleged internet fraud initiation, assault

The Bono Regional Police Command has arrested eight suspects for allegedly assaulting a 21-year-old man as part of an initiation process into an internet fraud operation at Kotokrom, a suburb of the Sunyani West Municipality.

The victim, identified as Godstime Umukoro, was allegedly subjected to severe beatings by the suspects, who reportedly claimed that the assault was part of the process of introducing him to the internet fraud business.

According to a statement by the police, the arrests followed a distress call received by a patrol team on October 4, at about 4:30 p.m., reporting that a group of people were attacking a man at Kotokrom.

The police said officers who responded to the call found the victim with multiple marks of assault on his body and arrested the suspects at the scene.

The eight suspects have been identified as Peter Mbam, 24; Godwin Moses, 26; Humble Oweifah, 18; Osas Ogbemudia, 30; Samuel Aisosa, 22; Ashile Godbess, 24; Alexander Uyuo, 30; and Patrick Romans, 25.

During interrogation, the suspects reportedly admitted to beating Umukoro, claiming that the act was part of their initiation into the internet fraud business.

The police statement said: “During interrogation, the suspects, stated that they subjected the victim to severe beating as part of his initiation into the Internet fraud business, a process they claimed they had also undergone.”

Preliminary investigations have also linked the suspects to an alleged online fraud operation led by a man identified as Nwachukwu King Augustine, whom the police described as their chairman.

According to the statement, the suspects allegedly deceived unsuspecting individuals by using downloaded photographs of foreign military personnel to initiate online conversations.

“They lure innocent victims using downloaded images of foreign military men and start chatting with them under the pretext that they are at war front in Yemen,” the statement said.

The police added that the group allegedly collected money from their targets, which was subsequently paid into the account of their purported leader.

“When they succeed in collecting the victims’ money, it is then paid into their Boss’s account,” the statement added.

The police have not disclosed the number of alleged victims, the amount of money involved or whether the alleged leader has been arrested.

The Bono Regional Police Command has commended members of the public for their swift intervention and assured them of continued collaboration in the fight against crime in the region.

“The Bono Regional Police Command commends the public for their swift intervention and assures them of continued collaboration in fighting crime in the region.”

Further investigations are expected to establish the full extent of the alleged criminal activities and the individual roles of the suspects.