Student charged for fraudulently withdrawing GH¢10k from customer’s account

A 33-year-old student, Reagan Kwesi Egbi Addo, also known as Morgan Addo, has appeared before the Circuit Court at Dansoman for allegedly stealing an ATM card and fraudulently withdrawing GH¢10,115 from the account of a driver in Accra.

Reagan Addo has been charged with two counts of stealing, contrary to Section 124(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). He pleaded not guilty to both charges when they were read and explained to him in Twi.

 

Brief facts

The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Christopher Wonder, told the court that on August 4, 2025 around 1:20 p.m., the complainant, Anthony Kojo Sedo, a driver residing at Kaneshie, visited an Access Bank ATM located in front of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) National Headquarters at the Ministries in Accra to withdraw money to buy fuel.

According to the prosecution, the complainant experienced difficulty accessing the ATM, during which the accused allegedly approached him under the pretext of offering assistance.

In the process, Reagan Addo is said to have taken Sedo’s Access Bank Visa ATM card, cleaned the chip and secretly swapped it with another card.

The court heard that the accused then proceeded to the Total B fuel filling station at 37, Accra, where he allegedly used the complainant’s ATM card without consent to withdraw GH¢10,115.

Following a complaint, police said they requested CCTV footage from Access Bank on August 13, 2025.

The footage reportedly captured the accused closely observing the complainant as he entered his PIN at the ATM.

Investigators further told the court that on December 19, 2025, plain-clothes police officers arrested Reagan Addo at the Accra International Conference Centre, where he had been on a wanted list for allegedly stealing ATM cards within the Accra Central Division.

A day later, police escorted him to his residence at Ashaley Botwe, Accra, where a search allegedly led to the retrieval of several ATM cards belonging to different individuals.

The cards included those issued by GCB Bank, Absa Bank, GTBank, Fidelity Bank and others. Prosecution said investigations were still ongoing, as more complainants were being traced.

During earlier proceedings, the court, presided over by Her Ladyship Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Baasit, a High Court judge sitting as a Circuit Court judge, refused the accused bail and remanded him into police custody to allow investigators to conclude their work.

At subsequent hearings, the prosecution sought more time, citing fresh developments, including claims from an Absa Bank customer, a Pensioner, who reported that over GH¢300,000 had allegedly been withdrawn from his account.

 

Bail

Counsel for the accused, Faustinus Yirilabu Esq, argued that his client was a student with a fixed place of abode and no capacity to interfere with investigations, and urged the court to grant bail, especially as schools had reopened.

After considering submissions from both sides, the court eventually granted the accused bail in the sum of GH¢20,000 with three sureties.

Two of the sureties are required to be public servants resident within the court’s jurisdiction and earning not less than GH¢2,000, while the third must be justified.

As part of the bail conditions, the court ordered the accused to deposit his Ghana Card at the court registry, provide details of his educational institution, including his index number, course of study and campus, and report to the police once every week until otherwise directed.

The bail conditions are also tied to another theft case in which the accused is said to be involved. The case remains pending as investigations continue.

 

Related court case

In another development, the accused,  Reagan Kwesi Egbi Addo, has been arraigned before the  same Dansoman Circuit Court for allegedly using another person’s ATM card to steal GH¢9,900.00.

The accused was charged with two counts of stealing, contrary to Section 124(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). He pleaded not guilty to both counts.

Presiding over the case, Her Ladyship Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Bassi, a High Court judge with additional duty at the Circuit Court, ordered that the accused remain on his previous bail in the sum of GH¢20,000 with three sureties.

Two of the sureties must be public servants resident within the court’s jurisdiction and earning not less than GH¢2,000, while the third surety is to be justified. The bail conditions are tied to another theft case in which the accused is said to be involved.

As part of the bail conditions, the court directed the accused to deposit his Ghana Card at the court registry and furnish the court with details of his educational institution, including his index number, course of study and campus.

He is also required to report to the police once every week until otherwise directed by the court.

The case has been adjourned to March 11, 2026.

According to the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Christopher Wonder, the complainant, Evelyn Anita Konney, is a staff member of the Ministry of Fisheries.

The accused is alleged to have committed the offence on November 13, 2025, at the GCB Bank ATM located at the Ministries area in Accra.

The prosecution told the court that the accused allegedly lured the complainant from the GCB Bank ATM to the Zenith Bank ATM at the Premier Towers, claiming the initial machine was not functioning properly.

While the complainant was entering her PIN at the Zenith Bank ATM, the accused allegedly stood behind her, requested to clean her ATM card chip and secretly swapped the card.

After allegedly swapping the card, the accused is said to have proceeded to the Post Office Square area in Accra, where he unlawfully withdrew GH¢9,900.00 from the complainant’s GCB Bank account without her consent.

Chief Inspector Wonder further stated that on December 23, 2025, at about 4:40 p.m., the complainant reported the matter to the Ministries Police Station after learning that the accused had been arrested and placed on a police wanted list for allegedly stealing ATM cards within the Accra Central Division.

The Ministries Police, according to the prosecution, have officially requested closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from GCB Bank to track the movements of the complainant and the accused. Investigations into the case are ongoing.

 

 

 

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