Alex Boateng, alias Sikapa the Boss, a self-acclaimed businessman, engaged a garage owner, Charles Amanio, at Tantra Hill to purchase a 2014 unregistered Toyota Corolla vehicle with chassis number: 5YBURHESEP05426 at a cost of GH¢64,000.
To prove that he meant business, Mr Boateng gave GH¢20,000 to Charles Amanio as part payment and introduced Messrs Nii Ayibontey Benjamin Abraham and Morgan as his guarantors. An agreement about the payment schedule was subsequently written and signed by the parties. Mr Boateng then took the garage owner to his supposed home to prove that he cannot run away with his money.
When the payment for the first tranche was due, Mr Amanio called Mr Boateng, but he could not reach him. After several attempts, he proceeded to his house, only to be told that Mr Boateng (the buyer) hired the room for only three months, and that he had relocated.
On May 20, this year, Nii Ayibontey Benjamin Abraham, who guaranteed the purchase of the car for now run away Alex Boateng, displayed the same car for sale on tonaton.com. This attracted another buyer, Ms Priscilla Oduro, who contacted Godfred Sossah, also a car dealer, to buy the car for her.
Alex Boateng and Nii Ayibontey Benjamin Abraham, who have currently been arraigned before an Accra Circuit Court with Morgan, who is at large, affixed a tracking device on the car displayed on tonaton for sale.
The Prosecutor Inspector Eric Pobee, last week Wednesday, told the court presided over by His Honour Mr Emmanuel Essandoh that the accused persons, together with suspect Morgan, had the intention that after the sale of the car, they would report to the police that it had gone missing. They would then go ahead to resell it after the police had retrieved it for them.
The prosecutor said Godfred Sossah (2nd car dealer), not privy to this wicked intention of the suspects, contacted the complainant in the case, Emmanuel Yao Tsatsu, and showed him pictures of the said car, and the latter expressed interest in buying it.
Godfred contacted suspect Benjamin, who arranged to meet the complainant at Atomic Junction with the vehicle. Unknown to them, the suspect had procured forged documents, including an importer identification card, bearing the name of one Florence Agyeman.
First accused person (A1) Alex Boateng, according to the prosecution, accompanied Benjamin (A2) to meet the buyer of the car, but when they were approaching Atomic Junction, the first accused person (Boateng) got down to allow the second accused person (Benjamin) to negotiate the deal with their victim, Emmanuel Yao Tsatsu.
Benjamin sold the car to the victim at a price of GH¢48,000, an amount that was paid into A2’s Consolidated Bank account at Baatsona in Accra.
Inspector Pobee indicated that the proceeds from the sale of the car were distributed, and Alex made away with 80 percent and Benjamin 20 percent.
After sharing the proceeds, Alex, who claims he now resides at Dansoman, on May 7, 2020, made a report at the Airport Police Station that he had been robbed by two armed men on the Spintex road who made away with his unregistered Toyota Corolla.
Alex also informed the police that he sustained injuries as a result of the attack and had been hospitalised at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH).
To help the police find the alleged car, he revealed to them that the car had a tracking device, and this led to the arrest of one Gamel Agbesi, a mechanic who was working on the vehicle. Agbesi also led the police to apprehend the supposed owner, now a complainant.
Inspector Pobee further told the court that after reporting the supposed missing car to the police, the suspects phoned the original car owner and told him that they had defrauded him, and that the car had been parked at the Airport Police Station. The original owner proceeded to the police station to lodge a complaint.
Police checks later revealed that Alex had not been on admission at the KBTH. It also came to light that A1 had been involved in a similar case at the Odorkor Police Station.
Alex had been charged with various offences and had admitted to same. Meanwhile, a bench warrant has been issued for his arrest since he failed to appear before the court at the last adjourned date.
Benjamin has also been charged and admitted to the offences levelled against him.
According to Inspector Pobee, A2 has promised to refund the 20 percent he received.
The post Beware: The Car You Buy Might Be A Scam! Fraudsters adopt new scheme of ‘track and reposes’ appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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