Ringleader of accommodation fraud syndicate arrested

A man believed to be the leader of a syndicate which has been defrauding people looking for accommodation in the Dansoman area has been arrested.

The suspect, identified as Daniel Nii Quartey, was arrested on June 25, 2014 after undercover police operatives had posed as accommodation seekers and asked him to help them secure accommodation at Dansoman.  

An accomplice, whose name was given only as Joe, and four others are on the run.

Woman falls victim 

The Dansoman District Police Crime Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mr Christopher Owusu, said the police had, in recent times, been receiving complaints from people who had allegedly been defrauded by estate agents.

On May 19, 2014, Ms Nana Ama Addae Opoku, a civil servant, had reported to the police that she had been defrauded  by two men who promised to help her secure accommodation at Weija.

Mr Owusu said the woman had told the police that she picked the phone contact of an estate agent from a poster on the wall of a house at Weija in Accra and called the said estate agent.

Following a discussion on the phone with the agent, she agreed to meet the said estate agent, who introduced himself only as Joe.

On an agreed date, Joe took Ms Opoku to inspect a single-room apartment at Weija.

After the inspection, Joe, posing as the accommodation agent, led her to meet Quartey, who posed as the owner of the said property, at Dansoman Akokofoto.

Charges 

According to the police, Ms Opoku claimed to have paid GH¢4,800 to the agent and his accomplice.

However, when she demanded a receipt, the two men went into a room and pretended to be issuing the receipt but suddenly took to their heels.

After the case had been reported to the police, Mr Owusu said, investigations revealed that Quartey was the leader of a syndicate of about six alleged fraudsters.

“Quartey, who is the leader, poses as a landlord, while his accomplices act as agents to defraud people,” Mr Owusu.

After his arrest, he said, Quartey admitted the offence in his statement to the police and had since been charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit crime and defrauding by false pretences.

Warning 

The Accra Regional Police Command advised the public to be cautious of fraudsters who were on the prowl.

It said the police had been receiving complaints from some members of the public who had fallen victim to the tricks of fraudsters.