The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has announced a series of major operational breakthroughs, including the dismantling of child sexual exploitation and trafficking networks, the arrest of a murder suspect nabbed in Togo, and the takedown of an alleged serial drug-rape predator operating on a secret online platform.
Director-General of the CID, Commissioner of Police (COP) Lydia Yaako Donkor, made the disclosures at a press briefing yesterday at the Police Headquarters in Accra.
Child Sexual Exploitation Ring Busted;
Three Arrested
In a landmark operation executed in collaboration with the Australian Federal Police and INTERPOL, the Ghana Police Service arrested three Ghanaian nationals for the production, publication, and distribution of child sexual abuse material, in contravention of Section 62(1)(a), (b), (c), and (d) of the Cyber Security Act, 2020 (Act 1038).
The operation was triggered in January 2026, when INTERPOL Accra received intelligence from INTERPOL Canberra and the Crimes Against Children Unit of the INTERPOL General Secretariat, linking an Australian offender — currently standing trial in Australia — to facilitators in Ghana who supplied child sexual exploitation material in exchange for money.
Officers from INTERPOL Accra and the Child Digital Forensics and Cybercrime Unit subsequently arrested two suspects in the Ashanti Region and rescued two victims aged between seven and 13 years. A third suspect was later arrested in the Bono Region, where two more victims — aged six and seven — were rescued.
In a chilling revelation, COP Donkor disclosed that the offenders are close relatives of the victims, including an older brother and a mother. “This type of crime is increasing because it is relatively easy to commit, difficult to detect, and financially rewarding,” she warned, adding that the police would soon roll out a sensitisation programme and establish additional cybercrime and child protection units across the regions.
The rescued victims are in the care of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU), with support from the NGO Abuse Relief Corps.
Murder Suspect Nabbed in Togo After
Burning Victim’s Body
The CID has also arrested Wisdom Tetteh in connection with the gruesome murder of 27-year-old car dealer Theophilus Ashitey Amarh, whose burnt body was discovered inside a vehicle at Adamafio Link, off the Legon Bypass Road, on 7th April 2026.
Tetteh, described as a close friend and neighbour of the deceased, was arrested on 30th April 2026 in the Republic of Togo through INTERPOL collaboration while allegedly attempting to sell the victim’s mobile phone. He was handed over to Ghanaian authorities at the Aflao Border.
Investigations revealed that on 6th April 2026, the suspect lured the deceased to his home under the guise of a vehicle sale, attacked him, and inflicted fatal head injuries.
He subsequently sold the deceased’s Hyundai Elantra for GH¢170,000.00, collecting an initial payment of GH¢80,000.00 before transporting the body to Adamafio Link, removing the vehicle’s number plate, and setting both the car and body ablaze. CCTV footage placed the suspect at the scene. He was arraigned on 5th May 2026 and remanded in custody.
East Legon Entrepreneur Arrested for Drug-Rape, Secret Online Abuse
In another disturbing development, the Cybercrime Unit of the CID, in a joint operation with the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), arrested Joshua Kojo Anane Boate, 36, an entrepreneur resident in East Legon, Accra, on 6th May 2026.
Investigations revealed that Boate operated a Telegram platform called “VIP Sleep Fetish 2025,” through which he allegedly drugged unsuspecting female victims with Alprazolam (Xanax), sexually assaulted them, recorded the acts, and shared the footage without their consent. He reportedly frequented nightclubs in 2025 to identify and sedate his targets.
Exhibits retrieved at the time of his arrest included an iPhone 17, an iPhone 13 Pro Max, a MacBook laptop, an external hard drive, a memory card, and empty sachets of Alprazolam and Midazolam. The electronic devices are undergoing forensic analysis, while the drug sachets have been forwarded to the Food and Drugs Authority for verification. The suspect has since been put before court.
Child Trafficking Syndicate Dismantled; One Child Still Missing
A midwife identified as Lucinda Naomi Otchere, who oversees the Maternity and Labour Ward at Trust Mother and Child Hospital at Osu, has been arrested in connection with a child trafficking syndicate that has already seen six other suspects arraigned.
The investigation began on 10th April 2026 following the reported disappearance of seven-year-old Kadija Karim at Kasoa. Preliminary findings indicate that Otchere received a seven-year-old girl from a co-suspect, Janet Larbi, paying GH¢20,000.00 for the transaction. She allegedly paid an additional GH¢35,000.00 and directed Larbi to send a five-year-old girl to a couple in Pokuase..
While Kadija Karim and a ten-month-old infant have since been rescued, the five-year-old girl believed to be held at Pokuase near Agya Herbal is yet to be found. The police are appealing to whoever is holding the child to surrender her voluntarily to the nearest police station.
Five suspects are currently on remand, with a sixth on court bail. The case returns to the Ofaakor Circuit Court today, Wednesday, 13th May 2026.
Fetish Priest Murders, Dismembers Trader for Ritual Purposes
The CID’s Homicide Unit has also charged a 25-year-old fetish priest and herbalist in connection with the ritual murder of Joyce Akua Ampomaa, a 40-year-old trader from Kasoa, whose mutilated and headless body was discovered at Awutu Bentum, near Jei Krodua in the Central Region, on 10th March 2026.
The suspect, who had previously treated the deceased for a swollen leg condition, allegedly lured her into a bush on 4th March 2026 under the pretence of collecting herbs, attacked her from behind with a cutlass, killed her, severed her head and legs, and concealed the remains. He later disclosed during interrogation that he had buried the head at Mafi Avedo in the Volta Region and the legs at his residence.
Following a court-granted exhumation order, police recovered the severed body parts on 17th and 18th March 2026. All recovered remains have been deposited at the Police Hospital Mortuary.
COP Donkor extended appreciation to all collaborating international partners, including INTERPOL and the Australian Federal Police, and commended officers for their professionalism. She also expressed gratitude to Inspector General of Police Christian Tetteh Yohuno for his leadership.
Members of the public with information on any suspects still at large are urged to call the Police emergency lines 191 or 112. All information will be treated with strict confidentiality.
By Kingsley Asiedu
