The Assin Fosu District Court has convicted three young men for defrauding a 26-year-old trader of GH¢38,450 through a fraudulent electronic money transaction.
The convicts are 24-year-old footballers Francis Appiah and Emmanuel Oteng, alias Flow Delli, and 21-year-old Emmanuel Antwi, all residents of Assin Breku in the Central Region.
The court, presided over by His Worship Abdul Majid Iliasu, ordered the three to refund the full amount taken from the complainant, Shalean Stella Bamfo.
Following their conviction, the convicts refunded the entire GH¢38,450 to the complainant.
According to the prosecution, the incident occurred on July 21, 2026, when Appiah allegedly contacted Ms Bamfo and falsely claimed that he had mistakenly transferred money to her.
He allegedly kept the trader engaged in a lengthy conversation before directing her to a nearby mobile money merchant.
The prosecution said Ms Bamfo was subsequently deceived into transferring GH¢38,450 through e-cash to three MTN numbers registered in the names of Saar Hassana, Rebecca Bosiako Antwi and Sarah Gyeti Arthur.
Appiah later allegedly transferred GH¢6,290 to Antwi as his share of the proceeds.
The complainant later realised that she had been deceived and reported the matter to the Central North Regional Police Cybercrime Unit.
Following investigations, the three suspects were arrested at a hideout in Assin Breku.
The prosecution told the court that the arrests followed investigations involving telecommunications companies, intelligence gathered by the Police and a court order.
The court was also informed that one of the accused persons admitted to the offence in a caution statement.
Investigators subsequently proceeded with the case, leading to the prosecution and conviction of the three young men.
After convicting the three, the court ordered them to refund the full amount defrauded from the complainant.
The convicts subsequently paid back the GH¢38,450.
In his ruling, His Worship Abdul Majid Iliasu took into consideration that the three were first-time offenders.
The judge, however, warned them against returning to criminal activities, cautioning that they could face imprisonment if they were arrested again for engaging in criminal conduct.
He urged the convicts to abandon fraudulent activities and pursue legitimate means of making a living.
