Police caution against fraudsters who invaded refugee camps in West Nile

The territorial police of West Nile Region has cautioned the public especially job seekers against people who falsely obtain their money in the name of providing jobs.

This has been revealed by Superintendent of Police, Josephine Angucia in a weekly crime report from West Nile policing region.

According to Josephine, The fraudsters claim to be working with organizations or companies that connect and recruit people for jobs.

“West Nile Region being an area hosting refugees, these fraudsters have been tactfully stationing themselves at the regional headquarters in Arua City, to defraud people who are yarning to work with refugee based organizations,” reads part of the report.

“They call people from all over the country to come with money inorder to be recruited into jobs with refugee based organizations, yet when they reach Arua City, their money is taken and the promised jobs are not provided hence becoming stranded,” she said.

It is said that some of the conmen even go ahead to demand a lot of money for interviews from unsuspecting victims which interviews are either not there or fake.

Police also reported another incident of obtaining money by false pretense which was registered when nine victims complained at Arua CPS in the months of May and June.

The victims claimed that they were called from Lira, Gulu, Bunyoro area, and other parts of the country for jobs, money to the tune of one million was taken from them, but no job provided.

In this case, the law enforcement body pointed out that the victim’s accomodation and feeding became a problem and they were stranded.

They said that these particular categories of fraudsters claim to be working with a company called AIM Global with office at Transport Road, Arua City and that they recruit people for jobs. But on reaching their office, there was no job provided yet their money was taken.

The regional spokesperson said that Arua CPS police acted quickly by registering a case of obtaining money by false pretense, and arrested two people namely Boaz Yesiga and Rose Arinaitwe who were charged accordingly.

“On 30th June 2022, they were produced in Arua court and remanded. Inquiries indicate that there were twenty nine victims in total but nine of them who were worse off chose to complain at Arua CPS,” she said.

She therefore urged members of public especially in West Nile to be aware of such unscrupulous individuals with their activities, and they should not accept to be defrauded by them. If possible, they should report them to the nearest police station for proper investigations.

“Those who still open offices secretly to extort money from people on allegation of providing jobs should stop it immediately or else they will be arrested and prosecuted for obtaining people’s by false pretence,” SP Angucia said.