I am not a fraudster -Bahmed

I am not a fraudster -Bahmed

By Mohammed Awal

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bahmed Travel and Tours, Alhaji Ahmed Bandoh has vehemently denied reports by the New Weija Police that he had absconded, after being granted bail in a GH¢8,000 Visa fraud charge.

Arguing his case, the CEO of Bahmed Travel and Tours said that the claim by the Weija Police that he was nowhere to be found after being granted bail was inaccurate, adding that the allegations against Bahmed were not true.

Bandoh was reacting to the story carried by The Chronicle in its Tuesday, February 25, 2014 issue headlined "Police hunt for Bahmed over visa fraud."

Alhaji Bandoh visited The Chronicle office in the company of four friends to deny the story as narrated by the police.

In the story, Inspector Abdul Abubakar, the investigator handling the case, told The Chronicle that a complaint was lodged before the New Weija Police by one Lukman Dauda (complainant), that the CEO of Bahmed had conned him (Lukman Dauda) to the tune of GH¢8,000.

According to him, Alhaja Bandoh promised to secure a US visa for the complainant, for which he charged him (complaint) GH¢15,000, adding that the complainant then made a down payment of GH¢8,000 with the promise to pay the balance once the visa was secured.

The Chronicle was told that though the payment for the first tranche was made way back on October 17^th, 2011, Alhaji Bandoh has to date, failed to secure the visa for the complainant.

The complainant subsequently made a report to the police on April 11, 2013, upon which the accused was arrested and granted bail. The investigator, Inspector Abdul Abubakar, said though the accused admitted the offence and promised to pay back the money; he had reneged on his promise. 

Alhaji Bandoh has also stopped reporting to the police as specified by his bail condition. “All attempts aimed at getting him to report have proved futile”, the Inspector said.

According to Inspector Abubakar, all attempts to reach the accused on mobile phone numbers he gave to the police have also failed. According to him, he personally visited his (Alhaji Bandoh) house “several times”, but he was still nowhere to be found.

But Alhaji Bandoh rubbished the allegations, claiming that they were not factual and that they were orchestrations by his "detractors" to sabotage his hard won reputation in the travel and tours business of over many years.

He argued that he was always available, saying "I'm always on television and radio advertising my company and my business. So I don’t think anybody has called on me… that Bahmed has absconded from police,” adding that it was "neither here nor there.  It's never true."

According to Alhaji Bandoh, he met Inspector Abubakar two weeks ago, therefore, for the Inspector to claim that attempts to reach him through his mobile phones and other means had proven futile, were inaccurate.

“I think there are some people who want to try to muddy the successes I have chalked over the years," he said. To him, he had no issue with the Weija Police, adding "I'm always in touch with the Police every time," he asserted.

On the substantive issue, he said he does not know the complainant in the case, let alone collect any money from him. He admitted that he was invited by the police, but said it was on a different issue, which had long been settled.