Woman arrested for over GH¢287,000 ATM fraud
A woman has been charged with stealing GH¢287,775 from the Agriculture Development Bank (ADB) using an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) Card.
Regina Abanga pleaded not guilty to 116 charges of stealing before an Accra Circuit Court.
The police said Regina allegedly manipulated several ATM machines and used her ATM card to withdraw the money.
It was during one of her usual transactions that she discovered her card had been barred.
Regina, a single parent, and civil servant was arrested by bank staff and turned over to police when she reported the incident.
The accused is said to have admitted to the crime and revealed she used the money to purchase a Toyota Vitz with the registration number GE-3545-21 and to fund a three-story building.
Regina’s lawyer requested that the court grant her bail because she was not a flight risk, was a single mother, and worked as a civil servant.
The court presided over by Mrs Kizita Koowa Quarshie granted her bail in the sum of GH¢250,000 with three sureties.
The court ordered that one of the sureties should be justified with landed property worth GH¢120,000.
The court directed Regina to report to the police station every Wednesday.
It also ordered the prosecution to file their disclosures.
The hearing has been adjourned to September 5, 2023.
The prosecutor, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Evans Kesse, stated that the complainant, whose name had been withheld, is an ADB head office employee and the head of Unit, E-Business Operation.
The prosecution said Regina holds an account with ADB’s Ridge branch.
The accused, according to the prosecution, manipulated some ADB ATM machines across the Accra metropolis and withdrew GH¢287,775.47 belonging to the financial institution between November 2022 and June 2023.
The prosecution said that on June 15, 2023, the bank detected the stolen money when one Solomon Inkoom of the ADB’s Labone branch reported an unusual withdrawal by Regina.
It said Inkoom informed the complainant, who then reported the matter to the ADB Risk Team.
According to the prosecution, Regina’s ATM card was barred to prevent further withdrawals.
On June 16, 2023, at 1700 hours, the accused went to ADB’s Ridge branch in Accra to get money from an ATM, and her card was seized.
Regina then went to the banking hall to report the incident to management, and she was arrested by the bank’s Risk Team and handed over to the Ministries police.
During interrogation, Regina agreed to committing the offence and claimed that she used the money to purchase a Toyota Vitz with registration number GE-3545-21 as well as finance a three-story building.
Source: GNA