A pastor with the Increased Ministry, Erasmus Billow, has appeared before an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly abetting a mason to defraud a driver of GH¢700,000 under the pretext of supplying him with gold.
Billow and his accomplice, Joshua Adamptey, were arraigned on charges of abetment of crime and defrauding by false pretences, respectively. A third accomplice, identified only as Albert, is currently on the run.
Both Billow and Adamptey pleaded not guilty to the charges and have been granted bail in the sum of GH¢100,000 each, with two sureties justified with title deeds. The case, presided over by Mrs Susana Edufful, has been adjourned to October 14, 2025.
Prosecutors Chief Inspector Godwin Wemegah and Inspector Clement J. Acquah told the court that the complainant, Yarkeeni Iddrisu, a driver residing in Accra, was once a close friend of Billow.
According to the prosecution, in August 2024, Billow introduced the complainant to Adamptey and Albert, claiming they had inherited a quantity of gold from their late mother. Billow allegedly assured the complainant that he had personally visited the men in Somanya and seen the gold.
Convinced, the complainant raised GH¢700,000 by selling his car and borrowing money to finance the supposed purification of the gold.
The prosecution said the accused persons later told the complainant that a final “spiritual pacification” was required. They arranged for him to undergo a ritual bath at a riverbank in Somanya, during which a gang believed to have been acting in concert with the accused persons attacked him.
The complainant was beaten, robbed of GH¢6,000 cash and a mobile phone, and forced at knifepoint to transfer GH¢11,000 to the thugs’ accounts.
The case was reported to the Baatsona Police on August 15, 2025, leading to Billow’s arrest. Adamptey was later picked up at his hideout in Somanya on September 6, 2025. In his caution statement, Adamptey admitted receiving money but claimed he only recalled GH¢200,000, which he said was given to his “spiritual father” in Benin.
Investigations are ongoing as the police continue efforts to apprehend Albert.
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