Rwanda National Police

Rwanda National Police (RNP) has arrested five men, who were masquerading as one of their own and defrauding unwitting members of the public.

The suspects, who were paraded to the media this Thursday at Kicukiro Police station, were arrested separately in different parts of the country. 

They belong to different rings involved in scamming mainly those seeking drivers licence. The suspects include ringleaders, who were guising as Police officers as well as their brokers.

One of the scammers, Zaidi Niyonsaba alias CIP Jerome or Afande Jerome, narrated how they were defrauding people.

“I was recruited in July 2019 as a broker by two people only known as Ivan and Pacific. After different successful deals, Ivan and Pacific did not honor the original understanding of sharing equally the money taken from every victim,” Niyonsaba explained.

He added: “I later created by own group with six brokers, whose role was to identify vulnerable targets, make them believe that I am Afande working in the Police traffic department and in position to get them a driver’s licence, if they agreed to pay a certain amount of money.”  

Niyonsaba was arrested alongside two of his brokers.

According to Niyonsaba, he had already conned different people of combined Rwf1.5 million since the beginning of this year alone. His last scam involved Rwf550, 000, which he had defrauded from a victim in Bugesera District.

“There are so many separate groups involved in this scam and they operate across the country. When conflicts arise in one group, some of them leave to form their own ring. I have been arrested; others will have their turn, if they don’t refrain from these criminal acts. You don’t even get enough money to change your life rather than only regrets after arrest,” he reckoned.

Another suspect identified as Faustin Twagira was guising as Afande Nkotanyi James. He explained that he was heading a ring of about ten people.

The common denominators among the ringleaders include having a Police rank or at least addressed as afande; victims will never know their identities; to lure you to pay the final installment of money, the so called afande will direct you to where he allegedly works, in most cases at the Traffic department, trail you to the destination and since he knows you and probably watching you from a distance, the scammer will pretend as seeing you from his office window, describe your dress code to make you believe him; they will not allow you to enter the premises and when you wire the money to a provided Mobile account with hope that the licence will be delivered to you, they will break the whole communication channel, probably that SIM Card used will have completed its intended purpose.

According to Twagira, they use the targeted victims’ particulars to acquire SIM cards, which they use in the scam.

“Among the particulars victims give us include a copy national Identity Card, which we use to buy a SIM Card registered in that person’s names,” said Twagira.

RNP spokesperson, CP John Bosco Kabera said that besides these being criminal acts, they also tarnish the image of the Police.

“These people call themselves Police officers and sometimes use the known identities of Police officers. Some victims will think that they have been defrauded by a Police officer, which sends a wrong perception. Let these criminals know that the money you are taking from people will not help you when you are arrested,” CP Kabera warned.

He further advised aspiring drivers to go through the ease legal channels. “It’s a right to own a driver’s licence, and the process to acquire it has been made easy and accessible across the country. Seize the opportunity, don’t fall prey to these deceitful tricks.”

Clause One of article 174 of the law determining offences and penalties in general in Rwanda, defines fraud as deception, obtaining another person’s property, whole or part of his/her finance by use of false names or qualifications, or offering positive promises or threats of future misfortunes.

Clause Two of the same article provides a term of imprisonment of between two and three years, and a fine of not less than Rwf3 million but not more than Rwf5 million, upon conviction.

On the other hand, anyone convicted for impersonation under article 276, faces an imprisonment of not less than five years but not more than seven years and a fine of between Rwf3 million and Rwf5 million or only one of these penalties.