Police are holding a man who has been targeting mobile money operators in Arua city.
Police picked up Alex Leku, a businessman from Ariwara town in DR Congo on over the weekend after registering a complaint from one of his victims.
It is alleged that Leku convinces his targets to send money to him mobile money with the promise of paying it back later. He reportedly leaves behind a new smartphone as security but never returns.
David Ojwiga, the acting West Nile Region Criminal Investigations Officer, says that they netted the suspect after one of his victims spotted him in Arua city town and alerted police.
He says that they have already received more than eight complaints from mobile money agents in Arua town accusing Leku of conning of them of millions of Shillings from their business.
Pius Afema, one of the mobile money agents who lost Shillings 750,000 to the suspect, says that the accused told him that his car was is in the garage at the Uganda-DR Congo border and he needed money urgently. He reportedly left his motorcycle, which he later took and left a mobile phone, which he has never picked to date.
Victoria Candiru, another victim in Arua town revealed that the suspect fleeced her of Shillings 1.2 million and left a phone worth Shillings 480,000 never to return.
She said that she was happy to hear that the suspect is in police custody.
Martin Orochi, the Arua Resident City Commissioner has appealed to the public to be on the lookout, saying such cases have become rampant.
Arua central police station registered the first case against the suspect on December 7th, 2020 when Victoria Candiru, a mobile Money operator in Onduparaka trading center; Ayivu West Division Arua City accused him of conning her of her money.
Police are now appealing to members of the public who might have fallen victim to the conman to come up and implicate him.
