The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has arrested 17 foreign nationals suspected of operating a cyber fraud syndicate and rescued 85 victims of suspected human trafficking during an intelligence-led operation at Dawhenya in the Greater Accra Region.
The operation, carried out on Sunday, July 26, targeted a facility opposite the China West Mall, which authorities believe was being used as a base for the alleged criminal network.
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According to the GIS, 102 West African nationals were intercepted during the raid. Preliminary investigations identified 85 of them as suspected victims of human trafficking and forced labour, while the remaining 17 are believed to be members of the alleged cyber fraud syndicate residing illegally in Ghana.
The Service said officers found evidence of severe physical abuse, particularly involving male victims, who were allegedly subjected to forced labour and kept under poor living conditions.
The six female victims and the 17 suspects are currently in custody at the GIS headquarters in Accra for interrogation and further investigations, while the remaining 79 male victims have been moved to a secure holding facility pending arrangements for their safe return to their home countries.
The GIS said the suspected masterminds behind the operation were not present during the raid and investigations are ongoing to apprehend them.
The Service noted that the operation was conducted under the Human Trafficking Act, 2005 (Act 694), which prescribes a minimum five-year prison sentence upon conviction for trafficking-related offences.
In a separate operation, the Ashaiman Sector Command detained 93 Nigerian women, aged between 15 and 44, during a compliance exercise in the Tsina-Agbe area following concerns over the alleged involvement of foreign nationals in prostitution.
The women are being held pending arrangements for their repatriation to Nigeria.
The GIS reaffirmed its commitment to combating irregular migration, dismantling transnational criminal networks and protecting victims of human trafficking.
