Three suspected fraudsters have been nabbed by the police in Kumasi after they swindled a trader of GH¢ 17,500.00 under the pretext of selling to him a saloon car.

Joseph Osei, Yaw Koranteng and Kwabena Boakye have been detained as the police carry out further enquiries.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Kofi Boakye, the Ashanti Regional Commander, told a media briefing that, they had mounted a search to arrest two other accomplices, Evelyn Prempeh and David Appiah.

The suspects put the car – a Toyota Corolla up for sale and the victim, Gideon Afriyie Tuffour, got attracted, and reached Appiah on a telephone number that had been displayed on it to express interest. Appiah directed him to Kwabena.

The said car was priced at GH¢ 21,000.00 but after some bargaining they settled on GH¢ 17,500.00.

DCOP Boakye said the incident, happened on August 28, and that the victim offered to make the payment same day.

The two, Kwabena and Tuffuor, arranged to meet at a spot at Bomso near the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) where they were joined by the others.

Just before the money was handed over to Evelyn, who Kwabena had introduced as his spouse and owner of the vehicle, the husband left, with the excuse of visiting a patient on admission at the KNUST Hospital.

Unsuspecting Tuffuor went ahead to pay the money after which he was presented with the keys to the car and it was when he stepped out to drive away his newly-bought asset that he noticed, he had been outsmarted.

On September 09, the victim came across a Honda Civic car on sale and his instinct told him the five were at it again and convinced a friend, one Ibrahim to feign interest.

DCOP Boakye said Ibrahim met Kwabena, secretly took his picture, showed it to Tuffuor and having satisfied himself that he was one of those, who swindled him, made a formal report to the police, leading to his arrest.