GHANA POLICE ALERT...CAUTIONS PUBLIC ON NEW STYLE OF ROBBERY

The Director General of the Public
Affairs Department of the Ghana Police
Service, Deputy Commissioner of Police
(DCOP) Reverend David Nenyi Ampah-
Bennin, has advised the general public
to appreciate what they had and not be
greedy as there were tricksters around
taking advantage of people who want to
cut corners to make quick money.
The DCOP spoke to The Mirror in relation
to smart or ‘magic’ thieves who rely on
their brains and brawn to steal from
their victims because all they (thieves)
need is attention for victims to willingly
hand over their valued assets.
In some cases, unsuspecting victims had
gone to the extent of borrowing items or
money they did not have, to give to the
thieves who are said to be operating by
means of hypnosis.

Hypnosis
Hypnosis is an induced sleep-like state
in which a person is deeply relaxed but
the mind responds easily to external
suggestions. Hypnotised subjects are said
to show an increased response to
suggestions.


Process
Narrating her ordeal, a young lady who
gave her name as Nana Ama, said she
was approached in Accra Central by two
young men who asked for directions to a
popular bank around the Makola
shopping mall.
Unaware of their agenda, she directed
them to the bank but just as she was
turning around to go away, one of the
gentlemen informed her he had pure
gold in his possession and asked if she
was interested.
“I don’t sell gold or deal in gold but for
some strange reasons, I told him I
wanted to have a look at it so we moved
to a less busy area around the shopping
mall. Then he asked if I had GH¢1,000
on me,” she narrated.
Nana Ama said without any hesitation,
she quickly pulled out her purse and
handed over GH¢ 300 to the gentleman
as that was the only amount she had on
her at the time.
The gentleman then handed her a white
handkerchief and instructed her to hide
it since it could be easily snatched by
thieves.
It was after the men had left that she
regained consciousness and realised she
had been duped as the handkerchief
contained an old washed-out necklace.


Another victim
A mobile phone recharge card seller at
Adabraka also told The Mirror that she
was in her shop when a young lady she
knew came to buy recharge cards.
She said the lady who was speaking to
someone on the phone requested for GH¢
60 worth of the cards which she gave her.
She said the lady then scratched the
cards and called out the digits to the
person on the other side of the line.
She said she got worried when the lady
asked for more cards and kept talking
to the person on phone.
“This lady kept sending the phone credit
to the guy he was talking to but because
I know her, I didn’t say anything. It
was when the amount reached GH¢400
that I told her to pay before asking for
more.
“I overheard the man she was talking to
tell her he would send the money through
mobile money. That was when I realised
she had been duped. So I held her and
demanded my money. Just when the guy
hang up, it looked like she had just
woken up from sleep, she had no money
on her.
“She then told me she received a
message telling her she had won some
money and that she needed to send
some credit so her prize money could be
sent to her,” she continued.
The card seller said she followed the
lady home and collected the GH¢400
from her parents.
Police advice
DCOP Ampah-Bennin said the police had
received several reports from victims on
loss of property and money to strangers.
“The commonest of their tricks is to tell
you they have gold or diamond and then
lure you into giving them money or an
item to the value of the gold,” he said.
He cautioned the general public,
especially females, to be careful of how
they interact with strangers, saying “if
you meet a stranger and he or she asks
for directions, do not follow the person.
“Just point to the general direction and
move away. If you are not lucky, you
could also be harmed or sexually abused
in addition to being duped,” he
stressed.