At least 20 girls are in tears after one Paul Lubanga Lwanga allegedly conned them of their smartphones and money with bogus job promises.
Lwanga is a suspected fraudster known by almost every police station and police post in Central Kampala as he has been in and out of cells and jail over similar offences.
His latest victims are girls aged 18 to 23 years who were found at Kampala Central Police Station –CPS narrating how he convinced them that he had numerous online jobs where they were going to earn almost every minute.
Robinnah Nanyonjo said she met a stranger outside Old Taxi Park who informed her that there were online jobs for young people with social media knowledge and that they would be earning on a daily basis by marketing all sorts of products.
Nanyonjo explained that though she was skeptical about the stranger’s motives, she gained trust when she met him for the second and third time.
In all these meetings, Lwanga explained that the online jobs needed a big number of young people and convinced her to entice her colleagues.
“I informed my friend Joanita Nakakande and we met him. He looked a genuine and very informed person and it was difficult to suspect that he was a conman,” Nanyonjo explained. “In all these meetings, he would take us to restaurants.”
Nakakande also informed her friends and the number kept growing.
However one afternoon last week, Lwanga asked them to pay 50,000 shillings, painting a picture that he was going to give it to the person who was going to secure the jobs for them without doing interviews.
Afterwards, Lwanga took the unsuspecting girls to a restaurant where he ordered them to order for whatever they wanted to eat and drink.
He collected their phones claiming that they were going to be connected to an online job link so that they can start working.
“He then pretended to have forgotten his important item in his car. He moved out with our smartphones,” Nakakande said. “We waited for him to return in vain. We went to where he claimed he had parked the vehicle and he was not there. His phone was also switched off.”
Nanyonjo and Nakakande filed a case at Nakasero Police Post while another victim Harriet Nakanwagi opened up a case Old Taxi Park Police Post.
These cases were recorded under references SD 27/20/09/22 and SD 30/19/09/2022 respectively.
Cyber police unit was tasked to trace for Lwanga. He was yesterday evening found at the balcony at one of the buildings in Nakasero waiting for another girl to dupe.
Little did Lwanga know that the target he was waiting for was a relative to one of the girls he had earlier conned and it was a trap.
Plain clothed policemen apprehended him as he attempted to flee. Detective at CPS said Lwanga was arrested on similar offenses five months ago.
He was arraigned in court but got out on bail.
Patrick Onyango, the Kampala metropolitan police spokesperson, has urged people to be extra careful with jobs, businesses and travel opportunities posted on online.
Onyango said that people, especially girls have been sexually assaulted by criminals they meet online.
