A former security guard has been sentenced to three years and four months in prison in the United Kingdom after impersonating a cash collection officer and stealing £117,200 from a bank before fleeing to Ghana, where he evaded arrest for nearly four years.
Kwabena Kissi, 40, was jailed by Snaresbrook Crown Court after pleading guilty to fraud by false representation in connection with the July 2022 incident. Prosecutors told the court he exploited his previous experience working with a cash handling company to execute the theft.
According to court evidence, Kissi arrived at a Santander UK branch in Brixton wearing a G4S security uniform from a job he had left two years earlier. Disguised with a crash helmet and face mask, he was mistakenly treated as a legitimate cash collection officer and escorted into a secure area, where bank staff handed over multiple bags of cash.
Investigators said he left the bank with the money, changed clothes nearby, concealed the cash in a bin bag, and departed the scene in an Uber. The fraud was only discovered when the legitimate G4S officer later arrived for the scheduled collection.
Prosecutors revealed that the bank had prepared £256,000 in 11 cash bags for collection that day. Although one staff member initially questioned Kissi’s early arrival, he reportedly claimed he had been reassigned to a new route, which reassured staff and allowed the handover to proceed.
After the theft, Kissi fled to Accra the following day and remained in Ghana for almost four years, reportedly living with his sick mother. His return to the UK in March this year led to his arrest at Gatwick Airport after authorities tracked him using his mobile phone and Uber booking details.
Police said he initially denied being the suspect, but digital evidence linked him directly to the offence. He later pleaded guilty in April, while a separate charge of possessing criminal property was withdrawn.
The court described the case as a carefully planned fraud that exploited established security procedures and institutional trust, leading to the loss of a significant sum of money.
