The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has rescued a 48-year-old Irish accountant who was kidnapped and detained on his arrival in the country by some 419 operatives.
The Irish, James Laferty, arrived at the Kotoka International Airport on October 25, 2007 at about 4:30 am and was picked up by the suspects, who took him to a spot at Pokuase where they collected his passport, 1,400 Euros and other documents at gunpoint.
After that, the suspects took the victim to a hotel at Kasoa, locked him up and demanded a ransom of 500,000 Euros from his family in Ireland before setting him free.
One of the suspects, Stanley Kanyagui, a 27-year-old student who was found guarding the door at the hotel, has been arrested but his two other accomplices are on the run.
They are Martin Abraham and Jalil Bawah, both unemployed.
According to the Deputy Director General of the CID, ACOP Ken Yeboah, in February, 2007 the Irish established an online relationship with Stanley, who introduced himself as a lady by name Eunice Dodoo.
He said Stanley later posted pictures of a lady he took from the Internet to the Irish, who expressed interest in marrying her and probably settling in Ghana.
The Deputy Director General said Stanley agreed and then invited the victim to the country but before his arrival, he sent the suspect 1,200 Euros to rent a room where they would live when he arrived.
Mr Yeboah said the victim also informed the suspect that he would be bringing 22,000 Euros to start a business.
He said on arrival at the airport, two of the suspects met him and they drove off in a black Rav4 Toyota jeep and about 200 yards from the airport, the two stopped the car and a third person joined them.
They then drove the suspect to a spot on the Accra-Pokuase road, stopped and one of the suspects pulled a locally manufactured pistol and pointed it at the victim and ordered him to surrender everything he had on him or be killed.
The suspects then seized the complainant's passport and wallet which contained 1,400 Euros.
The suspects were very disappointed because they were expecting the 22,000 Euros the victim promised bringing for investment and not 1,400 Euros.
The three suspects then took the victim to a hotel at Kasoa, booked a room and kept him hostage after which they forced the victim to call his relations in Ireland to send E500,000 into Ecobank account no. 3901103964014, Abeka branch, bearing the name Eunice Dodoo which Stanley had earlier opened.
The suspects kept watch in turns at the hotel while waiting for the ransom money but at a point, a misunderstanding ensued between them. While two of them wanted the ransom reduced to the 22,000 Euros he had promised to bring, the other stuck to the 500,000.
He said when the one in favour of the 500,000 was away in town, the two checked out of the hotel with the victim and relocated him in a new hotel at North Kaneshie.
When the victim contacted his family, they became alarmed and made a report to the INTERPOL in Dublin, Ireland, who in turn contacted their Ghanaian counterparts for assistance.
After intensive investigations, the complainant was traced to the hotel at North Kaneshie where he was rescued by the police.
Story by Mary Mensah
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