Bernard Oduro Takyi, a businessman, is currently in police custody on allegations of defrauding two individuals of $27,000 under the pretense of facilitating USA visas for them.

The victims, Gabriel Kwame Ntim and Prince Kofi Osei, entrusted Takyi with $13,000 and $14,000, respectively, with the hope of securing US visas. However, Takyi allegedly resorted to fraudulent means, including forging stamps from countries like Singapore and South Africa on their passports, as well as fabricating official letters purportedly from the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly.

In a bid to enhance their visa applications, Takyi reportedly inserted fake stamps and letters into the victims' passports without their knowledge.

These fraudulent stamps purportedly originated from countries such as Singapore, South Africa, Mauritius, and Turkey. Subsequently, Takyi submitted these falsified documents to the US Embassy in Madagascar, resulting in the issuance of visas to the victims.

Furthermore, one of the victims, Gabriel Kwame Ntim, was provided with a counterfeit letter from the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, falsely identifying him as a strategic partner for potential investors under Ghana’s Industrial Development and Investment Fund (IDIF) policy.

Similarly, Takyi is accused of fabricating another KMA letter, presenting the second complainant, Prince Kofi Osei, as a “Metro Climate Management officer.”

Following the discovery that the documents submitted for the visas were falsified, the embassy promptly revoked the visas granted to the victims.

Bernard Oduro Takyi, the accused, has been formally charged with two counts of defrauding by false pretenses and three counts of forgery related to official documentation. Despite the charges, Oduro Takyi pleaded not guilty to all accusations.

During the court proceedings overseen by Justice Samuel Acquah, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Maxwell Oppong, representing the prosecution, strongly objected to the granting of bail for the accused.