Bintu Shaw, a self-acclaimed Secretary of Qnet Company, and two others, namely -Gassimu Moses and Alie Kolleh are currently being held at the Freetown Correctional Facility also known as Pademba Road Prison while facing charges related to fraud.

Awoko reports that the trio is charged with conspiracy, acquiring money under deceptive means, and instigating false payments.

Police records suggest that between December 1, 2022, and April 30, 2023, in Grassfield, Wellington, Freetown, these individuals allegedly schemed with unidentified partners to scam Mohamed Magbay. Detailed accounts from the police indicate that they took Le20,000 from Magbay, falsely promising to help him travel to the U.S.

Additionally, Gassimu Moses, the primary suspect, is believed to have prompted Magbay to transfer NLe20,000 to Binta Shaw, who posed as a Secretary at Qnet Company.

Mohamed Magbay, the prosecution’s key witness, revealed that he had a telephonic interaction with Moses between December and April of 2023. During this call, Moses introduced himself and alleged that he lived in New York. To confirm this, Magbay passed the contact details to a relative in New York, who validated the claim.

Shortly after, Magbay was contacted by Binta Shaw, who identified herself as Qnet Company’s Secretary. They later had a face-to-face meeting in Wellington, along with Moses, to discuss visa arrangements.

Subsequently, Magbay was informed by the second suspect about the successful U.S. travel arrangements for Moses. Trusting them, Magbay paid an upfront NLe2,000 for a visa application and a partial payment of NLe12,000 in January.

Later, during a visa interview in Wellington, Magbay answered several questions. However, he was eventually told that his application was unsuccessful. After realizing the deceitful nature of their operation, Magbay reported the issue to local authorities.

More testimonies are anticipated in this unfolding case. However, the presiding Magistrate Kekura has decided to keep the suspects detained until their next court date, set for September 20, 2023.