3 Arrested For Dealing In Fake Visas

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) has arrested three persons for allegedly issuing fake visas and other travelling documents to unsuspecting people.

The suspects are Kofi Owusu, 50, Emmanuel Odai aka Ogyam, 61 and Kweku Ameyaw, 51.

The suspects, part of a syndicate, produce the visas to travelers for fees ranging from $500 to $5,000.

They were arrested at Kaneshie, near Mataheko upon a tip-off.

A number of passports bearing the fake visas and other types of stamps, as well as other traveling documents, were retrieved from them upon their arrest.

The Director General of the Criminal Investigations Department, (CID), COP Prosper Kwami Agblor, who briefed the media on their arrest, said on October 24, 2016 personnel from the CID arrested Owusu at Kaneshie in Accra and a search on him revealed one blank Ghanaian passport which was about to be given to a victim.

A further search in his car revealed three Ghanaian passports with other victims’ bio-data.

Another passport found in the car contained a genuine United Kingdom Visa believed to have been stolen from the owner for sale to another person.

COP Agblor said further investigation led to the arrest of Odai at Mataheko and a search conducted in his shop revealed four stamps.

COP Agblor stated that while the search was ongoing, Ameyaw showed up at the shop of Odai to have some passports stamped for him and was also arrested.

Ameyaw, upon seeing the police, took to his heels but was arrested.

Further investigations revealed that Odai embosses all kinds of forged stamps in passports to indicate that they have travelled to some ECOWAS countries.

He advised travelers to contact the authorized embassies for their visas, adding that the police would continue to investigate the matter.