Internet escapade lands trader in court

By Helena Selby

An internet escapade has landed an Accra-based trader into trouble with the law, after he allegedly defrauded a teacher in the Northern Region, of an amount of GH¢14,000 with the pretence of buying some seeds.
The accused person, Joseph Addo has, therefore, been remanded into police custody by an Accra Circuit Court, presided over by Mrs. Audrey Kocouvie-Tay, after he was arraigned on charges of conspiracy to commit crime and defrauding by false pretence.
Joseph Addo allegedly conspired with two others to convince the complainant to buy some seeds equivalent to the said amount from their accomplices.
Nana Osei and Kojo Acheampong, who are accomplices to the crime, are currently at large. The accused and his accomplices allegedly swayed the complainant to buy as much as possible, since it was in urgent need in the United Kingdom (UK), for the manufacture of drugs.
Addo pleaded not guilty to the charges leveled against him, and he is expected to re-appear before the court on March 8, 2012.
Briefing the court, the prosecutor, Chief Inspector Charles Chester disclosed that in November 2011, the complainant was contacted by a lady through the internet, who introduced herself as a nurse in the United Kingdom.
According to him, the said nurse told the complainant that a doctor, whom she works with, needed some seeds for medical purposes adding that she had an agent in Ghana, who could assist him, and she ended up taking the complainant’s mobile phone number.
“Later, one Nana Osei called the complainant in Ghana, claiming to be an agent for the lady and requested the complainant to get him a sample of the seed. The lady also gave the supplier’s number to the complainant, who introduced himself as Mr. Boateng”, the prosecutor told the court.
He said Nana Osei then directed the complainant to the Kaneshie Market, where he could buy the sample for GH¢150 and then sell it to the agent at a cost of GH¢230.
The prosecutor further noted that since the complainant was in Tamale, he directed a witness, Bilali Yakubu, who is his brother in Accra to Kaneshie Market and bought the seed from the second witness, Abdul Narsre Kassim.
Chief Inspector Chester stated that the witness Bilali Yakubu was directed to Nana Osei, the agent now at large, who bought the sample of the seed at GH¢230.
“Nana Osei then called the complainant that the sample was good, so he should get him about “hundred sachets”, the prosecutor indicated, adding that the supplier directed the complainant to Nkawkaw thereafter and bought hundred sachets of seeds at the cost of GH¢14,000.
On reaching Accra, the complainant called the agent, Nana Osei and the supplier, Mr. Boateng, but their phones were switched off.
“The complainant then released that he has been defrauded and reported the case to the ministries police”, the prosecutor told the court.
According to the prosecutor, during investigation, the witness, Bilali Yakubu led the police to the second witness, Abdul Nasere Kassim, where he bought the sample seed, adding that the second witness told the police that it was the accused person, who bought the seeds for him.
The prosecutor pointed out that the witness had informed the police that the accused person has so far bought three sachets of the seeds to him and normally direct people to come for the seeds and deposit the sum of GH¢150 for each seed.