GIS Busts Cyber Ring, Rescues 85
Seventeen suspected foreign cyber fraudsters arrested as Immigration officers uncover alleged trafficking and forced labour operation in Dawhenya.
The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has arrested 17 foreign nationals suspected of operating a cyber fraud syndicate and rescued 85 victims of alleged human trafficking and forced labour following an intelligence-led operation at Dawhenya in the Greater Accra Region. The operation, conducted in the early hours of Sunday, July 26, targeted a facility opposite the China West Mall after residents reportedly alerted authorities to suspected criminal activities at the premises. The property is reported to belong to Oga Toyas, Chief Executive Officer of TOYAS Group Limited.
According to the GIS, officers from its National Enforcement Team intercepted a total of 102 West African nationals during the raid. Preliminary investigations revealed that 85 of them—comprising 79 males and six females—were victims of suspected human trafficking and forced labour, while the remaining 17 individuals are believed to be members of the alleged cyber fraud syndicate. The suspects were also found to be residing illegally in Ghana. Immigration officers said they uncovered disturbing evidence of abuse, particularly involving the male victims, who allegedly endured severe physical assault and were kept in deplorable living states under coercive conditions.
The six female victims and the 17 suspects have since been transferred to the GIS Headquarters in Accra, where they are undergoing interrogation, profiling and further investigations. The 79 male victims have been relocated to a secure holding facility as authorities collaborate with relevant state institutions to facilitate their safe repatriation to their respective countries. The Service disclosed that the suspected masterminds behind the operation were not present when officers carried out the raid. “It is reported that the team met the absence of the main kingpins at the time of the operations. Investigations are ongoing to pick up the brains behind these nefarious activities,” the GIS said in a statement.
The Service noted that the operation was undertaken under the provisions of the Human Trafficking Act, 2005 (Act 694), which criminalizes human trafficking and related offences and prescribes a mandatory minimum prison sentence of five years upon conviction. In a related development, the GIS Ashaiman Sector Command detained 93 Nigerian women aged between 15 and 44 during a separate intelligence-led compliance exercise at Tsina-Agbe in Ashaiman. The operation followed concerns raised by the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly and the Municipal Security Council over the alleged involvement of foreign nationals in prostitution within the municipality.
The Immigration Service said the women are currently being held at a secure facility while arrangements are made for their repatriation to Nigeria in accordance with Ghana’s immigration laws. Reaffirming its commitment to tackling transnational crime, the GIS said it remains focused on protecting Ghana’s borders, combating irregular migration, dismantling organized criminal networks and safeguarding victims of human trafficking from exploitation.
Investigations into both operations remain ongoing as authorities work to identify and arrest the alleged masterminds behind the suspected trafficking and cybercrime network.
Source: Citi News
Author: Joyce Owusu
