Two fake UN officials arrested.
Two men who
posed as UN officials and succeeded in duping some
foreigners of thousands of dollars have been arrested by
the Commercial Crime Unit of the Criminal Investigations
Department (CID).
The two were arrested in an Accra restaurant where they
had gone to meet one of their victims, who had flown
down from the United States of America.
They are Benjamin Zuma, alias Duke Nino, and Godwin
Mete, both suspected to be Nigerians.
According to the Public Relations Officer of the CID,
Inspector Joseph B. Darkwa, on February 4, 2008, the
security advisor of the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) in Ghana reported to the police that
the organisation had received a number of mails from
foreigners abroad enquiring as to whether the UNDP had
issued an Anti-Drug Certificate enabling holders to
establish businesses in Ghana freely.
He said the mails also indicated that the UNDP was
charging various amounts of money running into thousands
of dollars.
Inspector Darkwa said the suspects designed fake
certificates and sent copies to the foreigners as
samples and directed them to pay the required amount of
money into an account at a bank in Accra.
According to him, the foreigners also wanted to know
whether there was a United Nations office at the
Christiansborg Castle at Osu where the two suspects were
supposed to be working.
He said the UNDP refuted the claim and, suspecting that
the two were fraudsters who were out to dupe the
foreigners, directed them to forward all correspondence
between them to the police to enable them to carry out
their investigations.
The Public Relations Officer said in some of the mails
the two claimed to be officials of the UN Army in Accra
or Public Relations Officer of the UNDP and in one of
the mails which was received on March 17, 2008, suspect
Zuma posed as Prof. Duke Nino and had even placed his
MTN mobile numbers on it.
Inspector Darkwa said during investigations it turned
out that the suspect had lured another victim into the
country under the pretext of supplying her with gold and
they had scheduled a meeting with her at a restaurant in
East Legon.
He said a team of police personnel from the CID
headquarters led by ASP Ebenezer Nketia, were quickly
dispatched to the spot and the two suspects were
arrested while having lunch with the victim.
Upon interrogation they admitted the offence but refused
to show the police where they live.
Source: Daily Graphic