The Ghana Police Service has launched investigations into five individuals arrested for allegedly posing as officials of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) and extorting money from miners.

The suspects reportedly moved from one mining site to another in Akwadum, Abuakwa South near Kibi, where they demanded money from miners while falsely presenting themselves as NAIMOS officials.

In a press release signed by DSP David Fianko Okyere of the Public Affairs Unit of the Eastern South Regional Command and shared with The Ghanaian Times, it was stated that the suspects were arrested by a NAIMOS team at Akwadum while travelling in a Mitsubishi 4x4 pickup vehicle with registration number GS 536 25. They were subsequently handed over to the Eastern South Regional Criminal Investigations Department at Kibi for further investigations.

The release cautioned residents, particularly those who impersonate security officers, to desist from such acts, noting that impersonation constitutes a criminal offence. It reassured the public that individuals who hold themselves out as security personnel without lawful authority would be arrested and prosecuted.

The five suspects are currently in police custody, assisting with investigations, and will be arraigned in court in due course.