A dramatic scene unfolded at the Assin Fosu new market when market women, realising they had been paid with a significant quantity of suspected counterfeit notes, turned on the customer, leading to a physical assault that was only stopped by police intervention.
The suspect, identified as Mary Kortey (also known as Akweley) and claiming to hail from Kwashieman in Accra, had allegedly attempted to defraud multiple traders by purchasing large quantities of foodstuffs using the fake currency.
According to eyewitness accounts gathered, Mary Kortey had “stormed the Assin Fosu new market and ordered plenty of foodstuffs.”
She carried a visible stash of cash, primarily composed of GH¢100 and GH¢200 notes, which she used to pay for items from various vendors.
The fraud was exposed within minutes after the transactions were completed.
Multiple traders, checking the large denomination notes, simultaneously realised they had received what they suspected to be counterfeit currency from the same woman.
Furious at the attempt to defraud their businesses, the traders confronted Mary Kortey, leading quickly to violence. Eyewitnesses confirmed that:
“The market women gave her some beatings before the police arrived to disperse the angry crowd to rescue her.”
The swift arrival of the Assin Fosu District Police Command dispersed the crowd and rescued the suspect from further harm.
A subsequent search conducted by officers led to the crucial discovery of additional evidence: GH¢1,900 in suspected counterfeit notes was found in her possession.
Traders at the market claimed this was not the first time Mary Kortey had attempted the scam, stating that it was “about the third time” the woman had used fake money at the same market, suggesting a pattern of criminal activity targeting the vulnerability of the vendors.
Adding a bizarre twist to the case, traders alleged that the suspect attempted to feign a mental health crisis upon arrival at the police station.
They said Mary Kortey was “feigned mental illness, undressing and behaving erratically at the police station in an attempt to avoid being detained.”
Despite this behavior, the police proceeded with the investigation. The Assin Fosu District Crime Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rosemond Duncan, confirmed that during initial interrogation:
“…the suspect alleged the suspected counterfeit was given to her by her boyfriend, identified only as Evans.”
The Assin Fosu District Police Command has officially launched a full investigation into the case, including tracking down the alleged boyfriend, “Evans”, to uncover the source of the high-denomination counterfeit notes and the extent of the distribution network. The suspect, Mary Kortey, remains in custody.