A 33-year-old woman narrowly escaped being lynched by angry traders at the Assin Fosu New Market after she was allegedly caught using counterfeit currency. She was saved by the swift intervention of the police.
The suspect, who identified herself as Mary Kortey, also known as Akweley, is currently in police custody assisting with investigations. She claims to be from Kwashieman in Accra. According to traders, she attempted to buy foodstuffs and other items using fake GH¢100 and GH¢200 notes.
Eyewitnesses told Citi News that several traders discovered they had received fake notes from the same woman, leading them to confront and beat her. She was reportedly assaulted severely before police officers intervened to disperse the crowd and rescue her.
A search on the suspect uncovered GH¢1,900 in counterfeit notes.
Some traders said this is not the first time fake currency has circulated on market days, casting doubt on the suspect’s claims of innocence.
Sources also told Citi News that upon her arrest, the suspect pretended to be mentally unstable, undressing and acting erratically at the police station—believed to be an attempt to evade prosecution.
The Assin Fosu District Crime Officer, ASP Rosemond Duncan, told Citi News that during initial interrogation, the suspect claimed the counterfeit notes were given to her by her boyfriend, identified only as Evans, a Nigerian national who is currently on the run.
Police have launched a full-scale investigation into the incident.
