Four of the suspects
Seven individuals are in police custody for allegedly scamming vehicle owners through fake electronic notices of traffic offence violations supposedly from the Ghana Police Service.
The suspects send notifications suggesting that drivers have violated traffic rules and direct them to click on embedded links to pay purported fines.
The suspects, who are assisting with investigations, include Martha Quarshie, Peter Ofori McCarthy, Alfred Kofi Totimeh, Prosper Otumfour, Robert Akplehe, and Christian Akplehe.
Proceeds collected from victims through the provided links were being channeled through multiple mobile money numbers before being consolidated through one of the listed suspects, Martha Quarshie, a mobile money vendor based at Ada.
In a security brief with journalists yesterday, DCOP Grace Ansah-Akrofi, Director-General, Public Affairs Directorate (PAD), Ghana Police Service, stated that acting swiftly on this intelligence, a police team proceeded to Ada on February 23, 2026 and arrested suspect Martha Quarshie, Peter Ofori McCarthy, and Alfred Kofi Totimeh.
During interrogation, suspect Martha Quarshie disclosed that a man named Prosper Otumfour, based in Winneba, was the individual who regularly sent her money to be redistributed to other mobile money numbers and a bank account. Prosper Otumfour was therefore identified as a central figure in the operation.
DCOP Ansah-Akrofi stated that the police team proceeded to Winneba on February 24, 2026 and arrested suspect Prosper Otumfour.
A search conducted in his room led to the recovery of GH¢4,188.00, multiple SIM cards, mobile phones, and laptops believed to be connected to the fraudulent activity.
DCOP Ansah-Akrofi also narrated that on February 25, 2026, suspect Martha Quarshie led police back to Ada to identify the individual who introduced her to the principal suspect. This led to the arrest of suspect Robert Akplehe, who was identified as the person who had connected Martha Quarshie with Prosper Otumfour.
A search conducted at Robert Akplehe’s room led to the recovery of one black Dell laptop computer, two hard drives, and one Samsung Galaxy A22 mobile phone, one other suspect, Christian Akplehe, a mobile money vendor, was also arrested.
Further search of his room and mobile money shop led to the recovery of the following items: three (3) keypad phones, two (2) Samsung smartphones, one GCB debit card (GH-Link), his Ghanaian passport, fourteen (14)Telecel SIM cards, one MTN SIM card, one ADB E-Zwich card, a Ghana Card in the name of Duku Rose, and cash of GH¢6,790.
DCOP Ansah-Akrofi further added that on the same day, suspect Michael Edem Amemornu arrived at the Directorate to visit suspect Prosper Otumfour. He was identified by investigators as a member of the criminal network and a recipient of proceeds from the fraud, having received funds on Telecel Cash from suspect Martha Quarshie. He was immediately arrested for questioning and is currently in custody assisting with investigations.
Investigations have revealed that suspect Prosper Otumfour registered Telecel Cash SIM cards in the names of family members and associates, including arrested suspects Robert Akplehe, Michael Edem Amemornu, and other individuals, but retained custody of all the SIM cards himself, for the purpose of receiving payments from victims.
“Upon collecting funds from his victims, he would transfer the money to Martha Quarshie and furnish her with the registered Telecel Cash numbers in his possession, directing her to redistribute the proceeds accordingly. This layered structure was designed to obscure the trail of funds and complicate detection,” DCOP Ansah-Akrofi added.
By Prince FiifiYorke