The family of the 30-year-old mobile money vendor, Francis Larbie, who took his own life by hanging in Awutu Bawjiase, within the Awutu Senya West District of the Central Region, have spoken out.

According to the family, the claim that Francis Larbie committed suicide because of a GH₵15,000 debt incurred after falling prey to mobile money fraudsters is false.

Speaking in an interview with GhanaWeb, on Friday, December 1, 2023, a family relation of the late Larbie, Frederick Okine, said that even though the scene from the deceased room indicates that he took his life, he was not a victim of a scam.

He said that the victim was not under any pressure from the businessman he was working with to repay any money, and so debt cannot be the reason why he took his life.

Frederick Okine added that the family is at a loss as to why the victim would decide to take his own life.

“He (Larbie) had his own business and had a partner who supplied him with goods and for over five years, they have had no issues before. Sometimes even if there is a loss, he gives him some of the money and the rest later.

“So, it can’t be because of debt from the scam that led to him taking his life. But we don’t know why he took his life,” he said in Twi.

Okine said that the victim’s mortal remains was first discovered by the wife, who called home from church after he was nowhere to be found, on Wednesday, November 29, 2023, when the incident happened.

He said that the business partner of the deceased came to look for him because they had planned the previous day that he would be traveling to bring some of the goods he sold at the shop.

But when he came the door of the victim was locked so he called his wife who told him that she left her husband home.

After several hours of waiting, the business partner called the victim's wife to come home and open the door to check if he was inside the room, and that was when his mortal remains were found.

BAI/OGB

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