A 26-year-old Guinean has been arrested by the police for posing as a bank official to defraud automobile companies of a fleet of cars.

Alpha Diallo Amadu, a financial analyst by profession, using the name Chris Anderson and posing as Head of Procurement and Shared Services Department at Societe General Ghana Limited, attempted to defraud Universal Motors of their three Porsche cars worth Ȼ1.8 million but was apprehended by undercover police from the headquarters of the Criminal Investigations Department.

Earlier, police reports indicated that the suspect used same modus operandi to defraud CFAO of three brand new Mitsubishi Pajero vehicles and Citroen DS 5 vehicles.

A search conducted in his hotel room revealed a number of address stamps from Societe Generale Ghana Limited, Total Ghana, an MTN Visa Budget Approval and Banque International Pour Le Commerce Et L'industrie De La Cote D'lvoire (BICICI) - all believed to have been forged.

Police also retrieved forged letters the suspect had written and submitted to eight other companies including Ecobank Ghana Limited, Deng, Dizengoff, Mechanical Lloyd, Stallion, Mantrac, MTN and Total Ghana requesting to purchase vehicles and electric power generators.

Various documents including copies of United States passport, which indicated that the suspect was using eight names to perpetrate his crime, were also discovered.

The names he used included Chris Anderson, Conde Mohammed, Dakleau Ngongang Rilke Wilfrith, Rilk Wilfrith Dacleu Idrac, Chris Thomas Anderson Clay, Jean-Phillipe Largarde, Jean Dominique Largarde and Richard Domchey.

The documents also revealed that he had operated in various countries including Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Benin, Cameroon, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.

Briefing the media, Director General in charge of Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) COP Prosper Kwame Agblor, said on June 11, 2015, police intelligence gathered indicated that Alpha Diallo Amadu presented himself at Universal Motors as Chris Anderson, Head of Procurement and Shared Services Department, Societe Generale Ghana Limited, and sought to purchase three Porsche vehicles worth Ȼ1.8m for some staff of the bank.

The suspect submitted several documents purported to have originated from Societe Generate for the purchase of the vehicles.

While processing the documents, Universal Motors suspected fraud and informed the police.

On June 12, 2015 Universal Motors prepared the three Porsche cars to be delivered to the suspect.

Alpha Diallo, on that fateful day, was driven into the premises of Universal Motors in a Mitsubishi 4x4 vehicle with registration number GR 6132-15 around 10:40am.

After the necessary, procedures for delivery were done, Alpha Diallo then called in two other drivers he hired to assist him drive the vehicles to Societe Generate premises but he was apprehend­ed.

During interrogation, Diallo admitted that he was not working with Societe Generate and that the documents he presented were forged.

Investigations also revealed that the suspect fraudulently used the same procedure to buy three Mitsubishi Pajero vehicles and a Citroen Saloon car worth over $200,000 from CFAO Motors on June 11, 2015 using forged documents from Ecobank Ghana Limited.

He registered the vehicles as follows: GR 6132- 15, GE 2057-15, GE 2059-15, and GE 2056-15.

The vehicles were parked at the parking lot of Labadi Beach Hotel, where he was lodging, when the police visited the hotel.

When further checks were conducted at the hotel, it came to light that Alpha Diallo was even lodging at the hotel with a fake identity after presenting himself as the new financial manager for MTN Ghana and gave his name as Conde Mohammed.

The suspect purportedly supported his claim with forged letters from MTN instructing the hotel management to surcharge MTN with all bills that he would incur during his stay.

After lodging at the hotel for two week, COP Agblor said, the suspect incurred a debt of Ȼ19,347.32.

Upon interrogation, the suspect who attempt­ed to bribe the police in order to be let off the hook, said he often takes the cars to different countries to sell.

COP Agblor said the CID was currently liaising with their Interpol counterparts in the coun­tries mentioned to assist in their investigations.

The suspect has provisionally been charged for forgery of documents and defrauding by false pretences.