How a 38-year-old woman impersonated a Police Commander to defraud a bereaved father

The Assin Fosu District Court has sentenced a 38-year-old woman, Sarah Wilson, also known as Maame Esi, to a fine of 90 penalty units (GH¢1,080.00) for impersonating the Central North Regional Police Commander, DCOP Abraham Acquaye.

In default of payment, she will serve six months’ imprisonment.

She will also serve an additional six months’ imprisonment if she breaches a bond to be of good behaviour.

Maame Esi was charged with impersonation, stealing, and obtaining an electronic payment medium falsely, after extorting money from the father of a deceased police officer, who was her boyfriend.

The court, presided over by Mr Peter Anonydare, convicted the accused on her own plea of guilty.

Presenting the facts, Inspector Matilda Osaah Buabeng, the prosecutor, said the case came to light when the father of the late Inspector Evans Krampah, formerly of the Central North Regional Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), lodged a complaint over a suspected fraud scheme.

According to the prosecution, the complainant received a telephone call from a woman who identified herself as the Central North Regional Police Commander.

The caller requested GH¢2,000.00 to facilitate the processing of a burial certificate for his late son ahead of the funeral.

Believing the request to be genuine, the bereaved father transferred the amount electronically. However, he became suspicious when the caller demanded an additional GH¢2,000.00 for another purpose.

He subsequently reported the matter to the police, leading to investigations that uncovered the fraud.

Police later arrested Maame Esi, who was identified as the girlfriend of the deceased officer.

Investigations established that the telephone numbers used in the fraudulent transactions were registered in her name.

During interrogation, she confessed to orchestrating the scheme.

The prosecution told the court that the accused used a voice-changing software known as “Magic Voice” to disguise her voice and make it sound like that of a man in order to deceive the complainant.

Police recovered GH¢2,000.00, believed to be proceeds of the crime, as evidence.

The accused was subsequently charged before the Assin Fosu District Court, where she pleaded guilty and was convicted accordingly.

Source: GNA