Five people - four Nigerians and a Ghanaian have been arrested by the Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for allegedly posing as international private investigators.

They are Mustapha Sumaila, 63, Matthew Ohoy, 49, Sekyi Patrick, 23, Moshud Mohammed, 18 and Lucky Ibu, 16.

Deputy Commissioner of Police David Asante Appeatu, Director-General of Police Criminal Investigations, told the Times that an American woman, Colleen Lynam, informed the police, through the police website, that she had been defrauded by a Ghanaian, Martino Brown, also known as Tetteh Adusu.

DCOP Appeatu said Ms Lynam claimed that she got in contact with Brown through the internet. She said Brown introduced himself as a businessman who dealt in gold.

Subsequently, Ms Lynam said she sent Brown $50,000 to supply her with gold for sale in the US. Brown was to take the gold to her in the US.

Mr Appeatu said, after a while, Brown informed Ms Lynam that he was arrested while processing his documents to travel to the US and the case was being investigated by the police.

He said thereafter, Ms Lynam engaged the services of Patrick and the other suspects who at a point demanded money from her to pursue the case.

At a stage, Ms Lynam became suspicious of them and therefore, contacted the police to ascertain the truth in their story.

Mr Appeatu said the police started monitoring the case at this point, and asked Ms Lynam to send money to the investigators through the bank. When the suspects went to the bank to cash the money, they were arrested.

Mr Appeatu said that during interrogation the suspects admitted the offence, but Ibu told the police that he was not aware of the deal and that he was recruited from Nigeria to come and see 'Small London Ghana" which he obliged.

He said the police are investigating the case after which the suspects would be put before court.

He said the police suspect that one of the five men posed as Brown.

He warned that the law will not spare anybody caught engaging in cyber fraud, saying that the law enforcement agencies will not allow some persons to tarnish the image of the country for their personal gains.

Culled from The Ghanaian Times