4 men arrested for using IG account to lure, rape & rob women

4 men arrested for using Instagram account to lure, rape & rob women

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has arrested four men for the alleged robbery and rape of women at Adenta and its environs.

The suspects are Ebenezer Amakye Adom, 30, the mastermind behind the act; Paul Nyamelor, 23, a Sawmill Operator; Joel Alornyeku, 27, a fridge repairer and Ebenezer Tawiah, 29, a trader.

A fifth suspect, Daniel Tawiah is currently on the run and being pursued by the police.

Photoshoot

They are said to have used a social media account on Instagram named “Phone Shop” to lure women interested in advertising for the company to attend a photo shoot.

Women who expressed interest were taken into a bush where the photoshoot was said to take place but they ended up being raped as the men had sex with them against their wish.

They were also forced to disclose the password of their mobile phones and MobileMoney PINs.

The suspects then transferred money from the Mobile Money wallets of the victims into their mobile money wallets.

The police said they had since the beginning of the year received complaints from a number of women claiming they had been robbed and raped.

The victims were between the ages of 20 and 30.

About 10 of the victims are currently pursuing the case and one of them is said to have had Ghc7000 transferred from her mobile money wallet while others had various amounts transferred from their mobile money wallets.

Arrest

A source close to the CID told the Daily Graphic that the police based on intelligence arrested, Ebenezer Amakye Adom, on Monday, November 8, 2021.

It was established that Adom had created the Instagram account “Phone Shop” which he used to invite women to attend a photoshoot for an advertisement.

He is said to have used the modus to lure his victims who he and his accomplices ended up robbing and raping.

Following his arrest, the police conducted a search in Adom's room and found a desktop computer, a router and a number of SIM cards which is believed to have been used by the suspect for his illegal operation.

The three other suspects namely Nyamelor, Alornyeku and Ebenezer Tawiah were arrested at Kubekrom, Kpong Katamanso, in the Greater Accra Region for their involvement in the crimes.

The police cautioned the public to be wary of social media invitations and avoid honouring invitations from faceless individuals.

The public was also advised to also do due diligence of social media accounts they follow and ensure they follow pages that were verified and safe.