Ghanaian Man Arrested in Malawi for Defrauding Company’s K202.5 Million

Police in Lilongwe have arrested a 23-year-old Ghanaian national, Maxwell Boamah Owusu, on allegations of defrauding Purity Sanity Products, a company based in Njewa, of K202.5 million.

Lilongwe Police spokesperson Hastings Chigalu confirmed the arrest, saying the incident happened on Tuesday this week. He said officers managed to recover the stolen money following investigations.

According to Chigalu, Owusu arrived in Malawi on September 1 through Kamuzu International Airport, claiming he had been sent by a Chinese national to target three Chinese-owned companies in the country through fraudulent schemes.

Owusu allegedly approached Purity Sanity Products, falsely claiming he could help the company convert Kwacha into Chinese Yuan. Believing his story, the company gave him K202.5 million, which he later diverted before fleeing.

“Following our investigations, we arrested Owusu while he was hiding in Area 43. He was supposed to defraud two more companies in the same manner but failed because they did not have the Kwacha required for exchange. Owusu already had a ticket to return to Ghana the following day,” Chigalu said.

Police investigations further revealed that Owusu had already wired the stolen funds into a bank account provided by his accomplices. The account holder, a Malawian businessman, admitted involvement and pointed to a Lebanese national as part of the syndicate.

Chigalu added that Owusu’s travel expenses, including his flight and accommodation, were fully sponsored by the masterminds behind the scheme, who had promised to pay him USD 500 for the job.

Police say investigations are ongoing to track down other suspects involved in the fraud syndicate.