A UK court has sentenced a Ghanaian man to 40 months’ imprisonment after he admitted using his former G4S security uniform to fraudulently collect more than £117,000 from a Santander bank branch before fleeing to Ghana for four years.
Kwabena Kissi, 40, was jailed after pleading guilty to fraud by false representation in connection with the 2022 incident at a Santander branch in Brixton, south-west London.
According to the Metropolitan Police, Kissi, who previously worked for security company G4S between 2019 and 2020, entered the bank wearing his old G4S uniform, helmet and face visor, posing as a cash collection officer.
Believing he was an authorised security officer, bank staff granted him access to a secure area and handed over cash amounting to £117,200, which had been prepared for collection.
After leaving the bank with the money in a briefcase, Kissi was later captured on CCTV changing out of the uniform, placing the cash into a bin bag and leaving the area in an Uber taxi.
Court proceedings heard that Kissi travelled to Ghana the following day, where he remained for four years while living with his ailing mother.
He was arrested in March 2026 after returning to the United Kingdom. Investigators said he was identified through extensive CCTV footage and mobile phone records, including the Uber booking, which had been made using his own name and telephone number.
Kissi initially denied involvement and claimed it was a case of mistaken identity. However, prosecutors presented evidence linking him to the offence.
The court also heard that Kissi had resigned from G4S but failed to return his company-issued uniform, which he later used to impersonate a cash-in-transit officer.
The fraud was only discovered after the genuine G4S collection team arrived at the bank later that day. Staff then realised that Kissi had collected £117,200 from the £256,000 that had been prepared for pickup.
Detective Constable Stuart Ponder, who led the Metropolitan Police investigation, said officers were concerned Kissi might never return to the UK after leaving the country shortly after the fraud.
He said police continued monitoring the suspect and arrested him immediately upon his arrival at a UK airport earlier this year.
“When officers searched him, he was still carrying the same mobile phone he had been using when he committed the offence in 2022,” Detective Constable Ponder said.
He added that the case demonstrates the Metropolitan Police’s commitment to investigating high-value financial crimes and ensuring offenders are brought to justice, regardless of how long it takes.
