Kampala, Uganda| URN | Emmanuel Ricky Omoko, a former Uganda police officer, has been arrested for allegedly masquerading as a detective attached to Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID).
Charles Twine, the CID Spokesperson says that Omoko, 32, who deserted police force two years ago, obtained money by pretence. This resulted from a complaint that was registered at CID headquarters by Opio Vincent Otok on Friday last week.
“It is alleged that in Mid May 2020, Omoko impersonated to be a senior police officer working at CID headquarters conned the complainant of 1.9 million shillings who had expressed fears of appearing at State House Anti-Corruption Unit,” Twine said.
Opio was required to appear at the State House Anti-Corruption Unit to assist in investigations following allegations of involvement of his motor vehicle and his travel company in alleged fraudulent accountability case against former Nansana Town Clerk Jimmy Otwoko.
Twine said Opio was given the contacts of Omoko by Counsel Makmot Kibwanga at his home in Minister’s village Ntinda after being convinced that he would help him to manage his worries.
“The suspect masquerading to be a senior Police officer then demanded a payment which unfortunately Opio succumbed to. Sceptical of the intention of the money he paid to the suspect, Opio shared the issue of money with one of his friends who incidentally knew the director CID and referred Opio to the director,” Twine said.
CID director, Grace Akullo, upon hearing the story, instructed an investigation about the circumstances under which the purported senior officer demanded and later on received this payment.
A criminal case file was opened and Omoko who at the time of arrest was demanding more payment, with threats that Opio’s case was so complicated and that he needed more money to manage the matter very well.
“Indeed he was lured to come on the advice of the investigators for more money from where he was arrested at Kinawataka in Nakawa Division. During the profiling of the suspect, the detectives identified that Omoko was a former police officer who joined police in 2015 and passed out in 2017 as a probationer Police Constable but deserted,” Twine said.
CID has since established that Omoko served for one year and later deserted following multiple of crimes especially relating to fraud, including defrauding one of the UPDF senior officers of 60 Million Shillings.
“We appeal to the general public to shun away officers whose service is tagged to money and further request that such incidents should be reported to the authorities for immediate action,” Twine said.
Akullo has ordered detectives to vigorously gather evidence, and on the completion of the investigations, Omoko will be charged to Court for various offences committed including Desertion from Uganda Police Force.
Read Also: 25-year-old Ugandan woman defrauds job seekers over Shs 300m
CID records of 2019 show there was a 13.9 per cent decline economic crimes with 10,598 cases registered compared to 12,313 cases. Such cases according to CID director Akullo manifest in terms of double selling of land, pyramid schemes and black dollar scams.
The biggest fraud scam was Dunamis Coin Resources Limited where the company with three directors had its headquarters in New Taxi Park, Kampala with branches in other parts of the country allegedly defrauded Ugandans about 20 billion shillings.
