Police in Iganga are holding one Hamas Paaya A.K Hamas Nuwahereza of Bulubandi in Iganga, for masquerading as an employee of the National Drug Authority to solicit money from drug shop operators.
Paaya was allegedly impersonating Zaidi Mwhondha as the Busoga regional NDA supervisor.
The National Drug Authority (NDA) is the government body mandated to ensure the availability, of essential, efficacious and cost-effective drugs to Ugandans and safeguarding the appropriate use of drugs.
At the time of his arrest, Paaya had allegedly extorted more than shs3 million from unsuspecting operators under the guise of processing licenses for their outlets.
Paaya was arrested for his alleged involvement in impersonating the National Drug Authority and was found extorting money from different clinical owners in Namungalwe and Nawandala sub counties
According to Recheal Negesa, a clinic operator in Namusis in Nawandala subcounty, Paaya pounced on her at her clinic and threatened to close it down on claims that she was operating illegally and her clinic did not meet the National Drug Authority regularly standards.
Out of fear, Negesa called the district drug inspector who came with police.
When Police reached, they asked Paaya to identify himself and he showed them an identity card belonging to Hamasa Nuwahereza which caused suspicion among police officers after realizing his accent was different from the said person.
When asked more his bosses at the region , the suspect started fidgeting around leading police to arrest him.
Sarah Kauma, the district inspector of drugs said this was not the first time Paaya is being accused of impersonation.
He has reportedly been moving around the clinics purporting to be an inspector from the National Drug Authority.
Dr. Richard Kirigwajja the regulatory officer at NDA asked the drug outlets to always be vigilant with such people
He said the suspect was using a motorcycle yet for them they always use company branded vehicles while carrying out operations.
The suspect is currently held at Nawandala Police Station in Iganga pending arraignment in courts of law.
