Accra, Ghana//-The Public Relations Officer of the Cyber Security Authority (CSA), Benjamin Madro Avornyotse, says more than 10 suspected kingpins linked to scam centre operations uncovered in Ghana have been arrested and remanded.
He said investigations are ongoing to establish the full extent of the activities of the suspects and identify other individuals involved in the operations.
Speaking on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Monday, October 12, he said law enforcement agencies had seized several electronic devices, including mobile phones and laptops, for forensic examination to help uncover further details about the suspected criminal networks.
“We have arrested some of them. I think in the last arrest that we did, a little above around 10 of the individuals have been identified as people who are the kingpins that are at the centre of these matters. And they have been remanded,” he said.
Mr Avornyotse added that the suspects were in police custody as investigations continued.
The arrests follow an announcement by FBI Director Kash Patel that a scam operation in Ghana had been dismantled as part of the bureau’s global Operation Blackout, targeting transnational fraud networks.
In a post on X on Thursday, October 8, Mr Patel said the operation had identified nearly US$10 million in losses and 89 victims, while more than 130 people had been arrested or detained. Over 300 electronic devices were also seized.
The CSA has also indicated that many people found at the centres were victims who had been lured with promises of employment and subsequently forced to participate in fraudulent online activities.
He added that authorities are working to distinguish the suspected perpetrators from the victims, many of whom are expected to be repatriated to their home countries.
