LAGOS JULY 4TH (NEWSRANGERS)-A former G4S security guard wore his old uniform to trick bank staff into handing him more than £117,000.
Kwabena Kissi, 40, walked into a Santander branch in Brixton, south-west London wearing a uniform, helmet and mask with visor.
He was buzzed into a back room where staff handed over cash containing £117,000 before he left with the money in a briefcase.
He was later spotted walking around with a bin bag containing the cash, after changing out of the uniform – before ordering an Uber and leaving the scene.
He flew to Ghana the next day where he lived with his ailing mother for four years.
Kissi was arrested in March this year after flying back to the UK, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.
He initially claimed it was a case of mistaken identity, but he had made the mistake of using his own name and phone number to book the Uber.
He worked for G4S as a guard between 2019 and 2020. He resigned but failed to hand back his G4S uniform.
Otis Williams, the bank branch’s vault manager, told investigators he had placed £256,000 in 11 bags for collection on the morning of the offence.
When Kissi arrived, an unsuspecting staff member commented that the guard was “a little early” but he claimed that he was on a new route.
Prosecutors said Kissi “did what any custodian from G4S would have done, he collected bags, put them in a briefcase, and took them out”.
A court heard that “the penny dropped” only when they saw the real G4S driver turn up later – and it dawned on staff that Kissi had only taken £117,200 of the scheduled £256,000 pick-up.
Kissi admitted fraud by false representation, by showing cashiers false ID to collect £117,200 in cash.
Det Con Stuart Ponder, who led the Met’s investigation, said: “We identified Kissi as our suspect thanks to extensive CCTV enquiries and phone evidence that linked him to the minicab he used as his getaway vehicle.
“When we found that he had left the UK the day after the fraud, we feared he might never come back to face justice.
“We kept our eyes on him and officers were at the airport to arrest Kissi off the plane when he returned earlier this year. When they searched him, he still had the same phone he’d been using when he committed his heist in 2022.
“This case demonstrates the Met’s commitment to tackling high-value thefts and securing justice – no matter how long it takes.”
LBC
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