Pastor Nabbed Over Gold Deal

BUSTED! Richard David Collins

A man, who claims to be a man of God, is in police grip over a gold deal and duping a Ghanaian lady based in the United States.

The 32-year old man, who gave his name as Richard David Collins, also claimed to be an illegal miner popularly referred to as galamsey. However, he could not provide the police the name of his church.

Superintendent Kwesi Annor Arhin, Osu District Police Commander, who confirmed the story to the DAILY GUIDE,  disclosed that the suspect, who is currently in police custody, had expressed interest in the lady who lived in the United States and also help her acquire a property from a private estate developer in Kumasi, Ashanti Region.

However, at a point, the suspect mentioned that he could help the lady and her sister, one Cynthia Manu, to buy gold.

When the two ladies expressed interest, the suspect collected $9000 from them  but after several months of waiting the gold never came .

This was because anytime the ladies called the young man for the gold 'he claimed there was gold but the money was not enough.'

The lady in Ghana, therefore, gave the suspect an additional GH¢13,000 but the gold was still not delivered.

Later when Cynthia demanded for a refund of her money, the suspect called the US lady to provide  more money to enable him to get more gold for her. The US lady sent him 5000 dollars.

The Osu Commander noted that the suspect took $1000 out of the money and gave the rest to Cynthia 'with the hope that the sister in the US would not tell her that she had sent him some money.'

Shortly after that, Superintendent Arhin said the suspect switched off his phone or changed his mobile network and went into hiding.

After several fruitless attempts to reach the suspect, Cynthia Manu lodged a complaint with the Osu Police who later had information that the suspect was hiding at Obuasi.

At Obuasi, the police were hinted that the suspect had formed a fellowship in a house where he held services on Thursday evenings.

Later when he was arrested, the suspect acknowledged he had taken money from the ladies to get them gold 'but the stones he dug out of the earth during the galamsey turned out not to be the precious metal.'

He was charged with the offence and is to appear before an Accra Circuit Court on May 28

 By Emelia Ennin Abbey