National Service Person in hot waters after alleged crypto-linked theft
National Service Person in hot waters after alleged crypto-linked theft of GH¢303,950 from customer's bank account
A 25-year-old National Service Person, Jesper Kobina Mensah, has been remanded into police custody by an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly stealing GH¢303,950 through unauthorised electronic transfers from a customer’s account.
He is said to have moved the money from the bank account of a bank customer to his mobile phone wallet (mobile money).
According to a report by The Chronicle newspaper, the accused, charged with one count of stealing under Section 124(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) as amended, and Section 107 of the Electronic Transactions Act, 2008 (Act 772), pleaded not guilty when he appeared before the circuit court presided over by Sedinam Awo Kwadam.
The presiding judge denied Mensah’s application for bail after listening to arguments from both sides. DSP Emmanuel Nyamekye, who is prosecuting the case, requested more time to enable investigators to complete their work.
According to the facts presented in court, the case was triggered by a report from a customer of the bank.
The customer, based in South Africa, detected unauthorized transfers from his bank account on July 15, 2025.
The missing funds were allegedly moved into multiple mobile money wallets belonging to some individuals.
One of the recipients, described as a Binance merchant, was the first to be arrested on July 28, 2025.
He admitted to receiving some of the money through mobile money transactions but insisted he only acted as a middleman in cryptocurrency trades.
Subsequent police intelligence led to the arrest of the second person on August 28 from his hideout in Nungua in Accra.
A search uncovered items believed to be linked to digital fraud, including nine mobile phones, two laptops, 108 registered SIM cards, dozens of empty starter packs, and other assorted equipment.
In his caution statement, the accused admitted using the two phone numbers linked to the suspicious transfers.
He further claimed he was acting on the instructions of unidentified Chinese nationals, who directed him to convert the stolen money into cryptocurrency (USDT) and remit it through the Binance platform.
Detective Sergeant James Kwesi Turkson, the case investigator, confirmed that efforts are ongoing to trace the alleged international accomplices. Mensah is expected to reappear in court on a date yet to be announced.
