FAKE CURRENCY DEALER NABBED IN TECHIMAN (PAGE 21)

THE police in the Wenchi Municipality of the Brong Ahafo Region have arrested a 29-year-old man suspected to be a member of a fake currency gang.
The suspect, Justice K. Ajoda, is a popular carpenter at Techiman and was in possession of fake GH¢10 and GH¢5 notes at the time of his arrest.
Two other accomplices of the suspect, Baba Rasta and another whose name was not given by the police, managed to flee the scene on board a BMW saloon car with foreign registration number RT 6246AF.
The police have, however, intensified their search for them.
The circulation of fake currency has been on the rise at the Techiman Market in recent times, where such fake currency dealers use the money to buy foodstuffs and other items from unsuspecting traders on market days.
The Wenchi Divisional Police Commander, Superintendent Kwame Nkrumah Akomea, who confirmed the story, said his outfit had information that some people at Dwomo, a suburb of the Techiman, were dealing in fake currency.
He said based on that, an informant was made to feign interest in the business and therefore made some contacts with the dealers.
According to Supt Akomea, the informant had several conversations with the suspect and his accomplices on the phone and later agreed to meet on a proposed day to transact business.
He said around 2 p.m. on July 11, 2008, the police commander sent the informant in the company of some plain clothed policemen to the area to transact business with the fake currency dealers.
He stated that on reaching the scene at Dwomo, the informant met with the suspect who showed him samples of the fake GH¢10 and GH¢5 notes.
Supt Akomea said the informant expressed interest and based on that, the suspect rang his accomplices to come over so that they could transact the business, adding that they came in the BMW saloon car with registration number RT 6246A F.
He said the plain-clothes policemen who had taken positions at vantage points, managed to arrest the suspect with some of the fake currency notes but his two accomplices fled the scene in the BMW car.
Supt Akomea stated that the suspect would be processed for court soon while intensive search had been mounted for the arrest of the other suspects.
He urged the public, especially food vendors and traders, to be vigilant and not panic as a result of the fake currency menace in Techiman, since the police were wild awake to flush out the economic saboteurs.