Four arrested as police bust alleged kidnapping, torture and extortion syndicate

The Central North Regional Police Command has disrupted an alleged kidnapping, torture and extortion syndicate, rescuing a 30-year-old man, Bismarck Amo, and arresting four suspects after an intelligence-led operation.

The operation, code-named “Operation Rescue the Victim and Arrest the Perpetrators”, was coordinated by Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Christian Tetteh Yohuno and involved the Central North Regional Command, the Anti-Armed Robbery Unit, CID Headquarters and specialised personnel from the Ashanti Region.

The operation was led by Central North Regional Commander DCOP Abraham Acquaye, with Regional Crime Officer Chief Superintendent Agyemang Badu.

Police identified the suspects as Mavis Badu Acheampong, 42, a teacher at Kumasi Girls Senior High School; Charles Doku, 53, a security guard; Oteng Baffour, 31, an electrician; and Kenneth Opoku Kwarteng, alias Culture, also a teacher at Kumasi Girls Senior High School. The first three are residents of Breman UGC, while Kwarteng’s age was not immediately confirmed.

According to preliminary investigations, the case began on September 3, when Amo allegedly defrauded Acheampong of an unspecified amount of money.

Police allege that after discovering the purported fraud, Acheampong, with the involvement of her husband, a senior military officer currently outside the country, lured Amo from his residence in Assin Fosu to Kumasi by telephone.

Upon his arrival, she allegedly enlisted Doku, Baffour and other accomplices, who remain at large, to abduct him.

Police said Amo was held at Acheampong’s private residence between September 6 and 11, where he was allegedly subjected to severe torture despite his family paying GH¢19,500 in ransom.

The alleged kidnappers reportedly stripped him naked, tied his hands with nylon rope and repeatedly beat him, causing serious injuries to his head and genital area.

Police said the suspects recorded videos of the abuse and sent them to Amo’s family while demanding GH¢45,000, which they claimed was to cover the alleged debt and expenses incurred in locating him.

After receiving GH¢19,500 through mobile money transfers, the suspects allegedly demanded a further GH¢30,500, threatening to kill Amo if the balance was not paid.

Investigators said the suspects used their own mobile phones to communicate with the family in an attempt to evade police tracking.

Amo’s family reported the incident to the Regional CID in Assin Fosu on September 8, after paying the ransom but without securing his release.

The report immediately triggered the police rescue operation and the deployment of tracking and tactical teams across regional boundaries.

On September 11, police said the suspects, realising that officers were closing in, attempted to move Amo to another undisclosed location.

The victim was reportedly to be abandoned by the roadside, but tactical officers intercepted the suspects during the transfer and rescued him.

Police said Amo was partially unconscious, covered in blood and suffering severe bruising across his body at the time of his rescue.

He was immediately taken to a medical facility, where he remains admitted under police protection and is receiving treatment for his physical injuries and psychological trauma.

The four arrested suspects remain in police custody and are being processed for court.

Police have also launched a manhunt for the senior military officer allegedly linked to the incident, as well as other suspected accomplices who remain at large.

The Police Administration has strongly cautioned members of the public against taking the law into their own hands, stressing that financial losses, grievances or other disputes cannot justify kidnapping, torture or extortion.

It has assured the public that the Ghana Police Service remains committed to using intelligence-led operations to dismantle organised criminal networks and bring perpetrators to justice.

Photographs of the four arrested suspects have been released to the media, with police indicating that further updates will be issued as investigations continue.