Fake Landlord Arrested

Daniel Nii Quartey in police custody

A 35-year-old man who is believed to be the leader of a gang that had allegedly been defrauding people who look for accommodation at Dansoman, Accra, has been apprehended by the police.

The suspect, Daniel Nii Quartey, was apprehended after allegedly defrauding a victim to the tune of GH₵4,800.

His accomplices, including one Joe, are being sought after by the police.

Suspect has been charged with defrauding by false pretences and would be sent to court soon.

Briefing DAILY GUIDE, DSP Christopher Owusu, Dansoman District Crime Officer, said the complainant in the case is a public servant who works with the Ministry of Employment.

He claimed that Daniel Quartey is a carpenter and the ring leader of a fraud syndicate who had been collecting monies from prospective tenants at Dansoman and its environs but never found them any accommodation.

During the month of May this year, the complainant wanted a self-contained accommodation to rent and picked a contact numbers of the suspects that were advertised on a wall at Weija near Accra.

The complainant called the number and managed to get Joe (now at large) who was said to be the agent.

Joe, after convincing the complainant that he was really an accommodation agent, led her (complainant) to Weija to show her a chamber and a hall self-contained apartment.

DSP Christopher Owusu disclosed that Joe then led the complainant to Dansoman Akokofoto where Daniel Quartey, who had posed as the landlord to the said apartment, lived.

The victim, DSP Owusu said, then made a payment of GH₵4,800 to the supposed landlord; and when she demanded for a receipt, the two went into one of the rooms under the pretext of preparing the receipt, jumped over a wall and bolted.

The complainant managed to take pictures of the suspects before they bolted.

She then reported the matter to the Dansoman police for investigations.

Police preliminary investigations revealed that Daniel Quartey was the leader of a gang of about six who use the same modus operandi to defraud unsuspected individuals.

Quartey poses as the landlord while the five others, including Joe, pose as agents who bring the unsuspecting accommodation seekers.

On June 26, 2014, police intelligence led to the arrest of Quartey, who had purportedly resurfaced to defraud another person.

He admitted perpetrating the crime in his caution statement.

By Linda Tenyah
( [email protected] )