Evans Kwaku Gyan, a 47-year-old driver, and his 36-year-old girlfriend, Joana Obeng, a hairdresser, appeared before the Accra Circuit Court on charges of defrauding Eva Mohammed, a public servant, of GH¢388,830 under the pretence of securing United States visas for her and her family.
The accused duo pleaded not guilty to the charges of conspiracy to commit a crime and defrauding by false pretences, contrary to Sections (23)(1) and 131(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
The prosecutor, Detective Chief Inspector Abel Amanie, explained the sequence of events leading to the alleged fraud, which began in October 2024 when Eva’s sister, Sarah Amankwaa Duah Saah, connected with Evans on the social media platform TikTok.
Evans claimed to be an employee of the U.S. Embassy in Accra and told Sarah he had six visa slots available for processing. Believing him, Eva Mohammed and five of her siblings submitted their personal information to Evans. He then requested a processing fee of GH¢49,200, which Eva and her family paid.
However, Evans continued to demand more money, claiming additional expenses for flight tickets. In total, he requested GH¢339,830 more, bringing the total amount defrauded to GH¢388,830.
The funds were transferred into a GCB Bank account registered under Joana Obeng’s name. Once the money had been paid, Evans allegedly made excuses for the delay and eventually stopped communicating with Eva altogether.
Frustrated by the lack of progress, Eva reported the matter to the police, prompting an investigation. During the investigation, bank records and communication logs revealed the connection between the money transfers and Joana Obeng.
Joana, who had met Evans on a dating platform, claimed she had unknowingly assisted him in the fraudulent scheme.
However, further investigation revealed that she was aware of her role in facilitating the transactions. After Joana’s arrest, she provided crucial information that led to Evans’s capture.
At the court hearing on April 23, both Evans and Joana were granted bail, set at GH¢200,000 each, with two sureties.
Additionally, they were required to deposit the original documents of a landed property at the court registry as part of their bail conditions.
The case has been adjourned for further legal proceedings.
