Porto-Novo: three detention orders against a suspected scammer with fake visas for Canada

This triple detention warrant issued by the court for the repression of economic offenses and terrorism comes after a wave of complaints filed by numerous victims.

The arrest of the suspect was orchestrated by the elements of the Honvié district police station in the municipality of Adjarra. Thorough investigations conducted by law enforcement led to the uncovering of a well-established fraudulent system based on two main scamming methods.

Initially, the individual took advantage of the fervor of local festivals and ceremonies commonly known as “Agor.” According to details provided by the Republican Police on Friday, July 17, 2026, the accused made his targets believe that he had an exchange network to obtain bundles of new banknotes, especially sought after for “worklement,” this practice of distributing money during celebrations.

By promising significant profits from these exchange operations, the suspect managed to convince several people to invest their savings, thus extracting about ten million CFA francs from them.

At the same time, the alleged scammer had specialized in false promises of immigration to Canada. He claimed to have the necessary skills to artificially “move” the bank accounts of his clients opened at various financial institutions, a maneuver supposed to facilitate the obtaining of their visa. Through this scheme, he managed to extort about twelve million additional CFA francs from travel candidates.

In light of the multiple offenses and the severity of the financial damages, the prosecution left no chance for provisional release for the suspect. Placed under detention, the man was immediately taken to a cell where he now awaits the opening of his trial.