A 29-year-old electronic collector has appeared before an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly misappropriating GH¢490,400 belonging to GCB Bank.

The accused, Samuel Owusu, who was engaged by the bank on contract, has been charged with stealing and has entered a plea of not guilty.

According to the prosecution, led by Inspector Priscilla Avorgah, the complainant in the case is the manager in charge of security and fraud at GCB Bank Plc.

GNA indicates that Owusu was assigned to the bank’s Abossey Okai branch, where his duties included receiving cash from customers and depositing the funds into their accounts using a mobile device issued by the bank.

However, a routine audit conducted on October 29, 2025, uncovered a shortfall of GH¢490,400 across several customer accounts. When confronted by the complainant, his branch manager, and his immediate supervisor, Owusu allegedly confessed to taking the money over an eight-month period, from February to October 2025.

Inspector Avorgah told the court that Owusu claimed he diverted the funds to invest in an online platform known as qadatralife, hoping to earn returns.

He was subsequently arrested and taken into custody to assist with further investigations. In his caution statement, Owusu reportedly admitted that he did not take the amount at once but gradually withheld portions of customer deposits and failed to credit them to the respective accounts.

The case has been adjourned for further hearing.