Gulu City: Mobile Money Dealer Mysteriously Disappears

The police in Gulu City are investigating circumstances surrounding the mysterious disappearance of a youthful mobile money dealer.

Ivan Mawaka, 25, who operates a mobile money outlet opposite Gulu Main Bus Park,  and is also a second year student pursuing Bachelor of Business Administration at Gulu University, disappeared on Thursday evening last week shortly after closing his business centre.

Sharon Apwoyocan, a sister and guardian to Ivan who opened up the business for him, told media that Mwaka reported for work on Thursday morning but never returned either to his home in Awich nor her home in Pece up to date.

She explained that Mwaka`s known phone number and that of the mobile money transactions have since remained unreachable and none of his relatives knows of his whereabouts. 

Apwoyocan disclosed that suspected kidnappers on Sunday called on her phone number and demanded eighty-five thousand shillings on claims that Mwaka had an accident around Dima Sub County in Kiryandongo district and that the money would help cater for his medical bills.

She said that the family however did not send the money as demanded by the people because they did not provide clear information about themselves and the incident surrounding the accident as well as the whereabouts of her brother much as they even went to the said place. 

David Ongom Mudong, the Aswa River Regional Police Spokesperson confirmed that the matter is already being investigated citing that the phone number used to solicit for the money being tracked using the Global Position System GPS.

He however said that it is still unclear whether the matter is a fake kidnap. A case of disappearance of a person has been entered at Gulu Central Police Station under SD reference 10/2/07/2021.

In February this year, Richardson Tabu a staff of the electoral commission in Gulu City was also kidnapped shortly after leaving office for lunch, he was later and discovered dead after one week. 

His body was dumped at the National Forestry Authority reserve in Pece-Laroo division.