A GROUP of about 200 young men and women who harboured the ambition of going to Baltimore in the United States of America for greener pastures have been duped by one Dr Richard Osei Hyiaman of well over ?600 million.

The victims, most of who come from Kumasi, were said to have paid between ?2.6 million and ?5 million for the preparation of their travelling documents.

They were then requested by Dr Hyiaman, who is purported to be the proprietor of Hyiaman Clinic in Kumasi, to assemble at a restaurant near the Kotoka International Airport on March 3 for the flight to Baltimore where they were to be engaged at a factory owned by Finic Group of Companies.

They were, however, disappointed when Dr Hyiaman failed to show up and went into hiding.

According to Mr Michael Donkor, 31, one of the victims who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, somewhere in November last year, Dr Hyiaman recruited them through a number of pastors and elders of some churches in Kumasi for jobs in the United States.

Mr Donkor said Dr Hyiaman personally met them on February 28 and gave them the assurance that the American company would bear the full cost of their air ticket which they would refund when they start working in the United States.

He said they were then directed to gather at a restaurant near the airport for the flight on March 3. According to Mr Donkor, they reported as requested, but Dr Hyiaman did not turn up.

He said when after two days there was no word from him, they realised that he had swindled them.

The victim, who looked worried, said some of them had to sell their valuable property including vehicles and vowed that they will do everything within their power to get their monies back.

According to him, about half the victims had already gone back to Kumasi to either locate Dr Hyiaman or report him to the police.

Some of the victims also told the Graphic that they knew Dr Hyiaman during his school days at Tweneboa-Kodua Secondary School, Kumawu, in the early 80s when he led a demonstration against the school authorities and was dismissed.

Graphic investigations also uncovered a purported letter from Finic Group of Companies which states that “due to changes in our directives with respect to our Southern Africa staff, we have rescheduled departure for West African participants to March 3, 2001,” an apparent ploy to convince the victims that similar exercises were going on elsewhere in Africa.

When the Graphic visited Boadi, a suburb of Kumasi where the Hyiaman Clinic is supposed to be located, it was found that the clinic operates from an uncompleted house.

It was closed and people around the area, who explained they knew the doctor in charge of the clinic only as “Doctor Richard”, said he travelled to Accra on Friday and had not returned.

Strangely, there was no sign post to direct any one to the supposed clinic, which is known to only a few people in the Kumasi suburb.