Jinja: Police in Jinja City have arrested a 40-year-old civilian who has been posing as a Field Forces Unit (FFU) officer to rob locals of their property. Jackson Mukasa, commonly known as “Afande Kawo,” is now in police custody after a long period of impersonating a law enforcement officer.
Kiira Regional Police spokesperson SP James Mubi told Busoga Today on Wednesday morning that the suspect had been conning locals by offering fake phone tracking services until his fraudulent activities were exposed.
The Kiira Regional Police Command tracking team arrested the suspect at his makeshift hideout in Masese, Jinja City.
“He ran out of luck on August 8, 2024, when he allegedly stole an Infinix Hot 30 mobile phone and five hundred thousand shillings (Shs500,000) in cash from a chapati stall at Masese landing site in Jinja City,” Mubi said.
Mubi further explained, “He even demanded seven hundred thousand shillings from the chapati seller, whose identity is withheld. The complainant sent him the stated amount of money and also bought him a Lyca Mobile SIM card. However, the suspect continued to demand more money, prompting the victim to report the matter to the Masese community police station.”
According to Mubi, the suspect is currently detained at Jinja Central Police Station (CPS) and faces charges of theft of a mobile phone, cash, obtaining money by false pretenses, and impersonation.
The officer stated that the prosecution-guided investigations revealed that the suspect had been demanding amounts ranging from seven hundred thousand shillings (Shs700,000) to two million shillings from his victims. He also asked them to buy him Lyca Mobile SIM cards.
Police are appealing to community members who may have fallen victim to the suspect to come to CPS Jinja and seek justice. Locals are urged to avoid dealing with individuals falsely claiming to be police officers in their communities.
“Such individuals cause immense frustration and financial loss to families while tarnishing the image of the police and security forces. These culprits should be immediately reported to the police or any other legitimate authority for proper handling,” Mubi advised.
So far, 30 people have come forward to file complaints against the suspect.
