Osei Bonsu Hanson, a 28-year-old self-styled car dealer, together with his lawyer Zebedee Obikyere, 38, has found himself in the grips of the Mile 7 Police for fraud and impersonation.
While the former is being held for issuing dud cheques to unsuspecting victims from whom he stole vehicles, under the guise of buying them, the latter is being caged for posing as counsel for the suspect.
According to the Mile 7 Police Commander, DSP Peter Yembila, Osei Bonsu, who is also known as Kobby, went about scouting for unregistered vehicles to buy, claiming he was a car dealer.
He then bargained with the owners for an agreed price and paid with post-dated cheques. However, when the cheques matured, they were dishonoured by the banks. The police chief explained that on Tuesday, July 31, 2012, one Kwasi Boateng and Emmanuel Ampadu called at his outfit separately to report that suspect Osei Bonsu had used similar means to rob them of their cars.
He narrated that Osei, after buying the cars, told his victims that he was also going to sell them to his clients. He paid with post-dated cheques but when they went to the bank to cash the money, the cheques were dishonoured.
Knowing what he had done, Osei left without any traces, cutting every means of communication with his victims. On that fateful day he was arrested, however, he was spotted by one of the complainants somewhere at Achimota.
Through the help of some onlookers, he was arrested and brought to the Mile 7 Police Station. Osei, according to DSP Yembila, had gained notoriety in his fake trade, disclosing that suspect Osei was wanted in Kumasi, where he jumped bail.
The bail bond was then extricated on one of the sureties. The surety was detained for two months until news of Osei�s arrest got to the Kumasi Police. Osei is also wanted by the Accra Central, Nima, Kaneshie and the Kwabenya Police.
He also has a number of cases pending in the Central Region. The Amasaman District Magistrate Court has since remanded him into police custody to reappear on August 29, 2012. As at press time yesterday, the Mile 7 Police were preparing to whisk him to Kumasi where he is expected to make an appearance before court.
Meanwhile, his supposed lawyer, Zebedee, was arrested while trying to seek a police enquiry bail for his so-called client. Zebedee told the police that he was from Nkrumah & Co Chambers, and counsel for suspect.
He pleaded that Osei be granted bail.
While in the process of securing the bail, a police officer from the CID Headquarters spotted and identified Zebedee, whom his unit had once arrested, as a fake lawyer.
Quickly, the police arrested and detained him.
It would be recalled that Zebedee, a secretary, posed as a barrister of the Supreme Court.
He was arrested and charged for impersonation and deceit of public officer by the Narcotics Unit of the CID Headquarters.
Zebedee, according to earlier reports on Friday, June 29, 2012, approached a prosecutor in a narcotics case involving one John Abiwu and falsely presented himself as Dela K. Quashigah.
He explained to the prosecutor that he had been delegated by suspect Abiwu�s lawyer to deputize for him to secure bail for the suspect.
Zebedee also told the prosecutor that he was the younger brother of Ellis Quashigah whom he worked with in his chambers. However, when Zebedee spotted his supposed senior brother (Ellis Quashigah), he took to his heels, raising suspicions about him.
Police therefore pursued and arrested him.
The Mile 7 Police has since impounded a Toyota Corolla with registration number GS 57-12 which Zebedee rented from YAD Rentals at a cost of GH�500 per week. The commander appealed to management of YAD to visit the station to identify and collect the vehicle.
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