The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has named a former Customer Service Manager, Akwasi Agyemang-Abebrese, at the bank (name withheld) in Kumasi, as the prime suspect in a complex fraud case.

He is wanted for the alleged offences of "Stealing and Money Laundering," after an audit uncovered in an internal bank documents that "a total of GH¢33,384,494.00 was stolen by Akwasi Agyemang-Abebrese."

Authorities have therefore announced a GHS100,000 bounty for information that could lead to his arrest.

The scheme, which ran from November 2023 to February 2025, involved siphoning funds from the bank's internal accounts and a KNUST Postgraduate Student Hostel account.

According to the bank's petition to EOCO, Agyemang-Abebrese "debited both internal accounts and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) accounts" before crediting them into his personal bank account.

An estimated GHS4.85 million was reportedly withdrawn directly from the student hostel’s account.

According to the bank’s internal investigation, the incident involved multiple layers of participation, uncovering other employees described as “inputters,” who allegedly executed 61 transactions amounting to GHS29.7 million. The bank, however, clarified that “all the transactions were authorised by Akwasi Agyemang-Abebrese.”

The suspect’s absence was first documented in a letter dated March 7, 2025. It stated that after being requested to present source documents for some questionable transfers, “Akwasi in the bid of searching for the source documents, left the branch without the knowledge of the Branch Manager or any staff.” The bank further indicated that “all efforts to reach him has proven futile as his phone is switched off.”

EOCO, in a public statement, has placed a “GH¢100,000 Cash Reward” for credible information leading to Agyemang-Abebrese’s arrest. Members of the public are encouraged to reach out to the EOCO Head Office on Barnes Road in Accra, any regional branch, the nearest police station, or call 0256957742 or 0579709066.

Months ago, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) warned the public to be on the lookout for fraudsters and romance scammers.

EOCO explained that these scammers often appear perfect and move quickly with their emotions, making them seem genuine. They also tend to always have excuses for why they can’t meet in person.

“Do you know the red flags to look out for when dealing with a fraud boy, Sakawa boy or a romance scammer? Romance Fraud is a Crime, Your mind for Dey. Report Sakawa on the following numbers: 0800- 910 910 or 0547- 419 419,” EOCO posted on its Facebook page.

Too good to be true: they seem perfect and move fast emotionally.

Excuses not to meet. Always have a reason why they can’t meet in person or a video call.

Emotional manipulation. They profess love quickly and create a sense of urgency or dependency.

Request for money: they ask for help due to a sudden emergency, medical bill or travel expense.

Inconsistent stories: Details about their life don’t quite add up.

Similarly, in the month of September, the Police and the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod)announced a GHS1 million cash reward to persons who will aid in the arrest of four individuals suspected of smuggling gold.

The wanted individuals included Abdul Karim, Sadique Abubakar, Muhammed Afsal Puth Puthalan, and Muhammed Nandoli Rafeeq.

Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, September 16, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board disclosed that these suspects add up to seven individuals who are involved in illegal gold smuggling activities.

According to him, three of the seven suspects; Mr. Nkroma, Razak, and Arim Yao were currently in the custody of the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) following their arrests. However, the four continued to remain at large.

“We have an arrest warrant for all of them; they are wanted by the police and the GoldBod. If you have any information about them, you can report to the nearest police station or the GoldBod head office. We have a bounty of GHC1 million on each of them,” he said.

Revealing how their operations were uncovered, Mr. Sammy Gyamfi indicated that the group, which included foreign partners, were being aided by licensed GOLDBOD traders to smuggle gold out of the country. He added that his outfit monitored the group for weeks after receiving a tip off.

According to GoldBod’s CEO, a vehicle transporting gold from Tarkwa was intercepted at Winneba Junction on Wednesday, August 27, following intelligence received on Tuesday, August 26. The vehicle was being operated by a Guinean courier.

In response, the Guinean courier, Abdul Razak was arrested after authorities retrieved three packs of gold weighing a net 8.5 kilogrammes with a purity of 92.5 per cent. He noted that at the time, the seized gold was worth more than GH¢10.2 million.

Sammy Gyamfi noted that Razak ventured into the illegal business through his cousin Abdul Karim and receives GH¢500 per trip. He revealed that in recent months, Razak had made about four trips to Tarkwa. As indicated by Sammy Gyamfi, the seized goldwas supplied by NK Benak Enterprise, owned by Bernard Nkroma, a licensed GoldBod trader.

Sammy Gyamfi named the mastermind and sponsor of this whole gold smuggling syndicate a the shareholder of the company by name Rafik Mohammed Nandoli (Ramfoh) also known as Salam. He stated that between June and August 2025 Rafmoh, though not licensed by GoldBod, had bought no less than 100 kilogrammes of gold at more than GH¢120 million.

“The shareholder of the company by name Rafik Mohammed Nandoli, Rafmoh for short, who is also called Salam, is the mastermind and sponsor of this whole gold smuggling syndicate we’ve been tracking for a couple of months now,” Mr Gyamfi said.