AfricaPress-Tanzania: POLICE in Dar es Salam are holding nine people in connection with involvement in offences related to computer systems and Information Communication Technology (ICT) and impersonation.
According to a statement issued by Dar es Salaam Special Zone Police Commander (SACP) Lazaro Mambosasa yesterday, seven are foreigners while two are Tanzanians.
He said the suspects were arrested after conducting a special search between August and early this month.
According to police, the foreign suspects are being held in connection with committing cyber- related crime while the remaining two are being held for impersonation.
The two individuals posed as national security officers, police officers and Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) officials.
The police mentioned the seven foreigners as Adewale Oyedes (34), a Nigerian citizen,Ibrahim Darbey (44), Cream Elias (38) and Prince Tito (46), citizens of Liberia; Basube Dominic (44) citizen of Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sibongile Arhur (44) a South African citizen and Baljit Singh (28) an Indian.
The suspects have been committing fraud and theft through the internet in various parts of the city, police said in their statement.
“After an interview, the suspects admitted to extorting 10,000,000/- through online fraud; and part of the money was spent on setting up a liquor store at Tangi Bovu in Mbezi beach.
They also bought a Toyota Mark X, two television sets and mattresses,” the statement added.
SACP Mambosasa explained that all the suspects will be arraigned in court soon; and that the special zone police force was still conducting investigations to identify Tanzanians who were collaborating with them.
Police also mentioned the two suspects as Patrick Tarimo (32), a resident of Mwenge, who posed as a national security officer, and Castory Wambura (57), a resident of Kibamba, who posed as a police officer.
Both suspects have been defrauding civilians by posing as employees of Tanzania Intelligence and Security Service (TISS) and the Police Force, elaborated the statement.
On August 10, Mr Tarimo obtained 20,000,000/- from a foreign national, after arresting him posing as an TISS official,revealed the statement.
In addition, on August 21, Wambura, conned Kariakoo traders in the city, by introducing himself as a police and TRA officer.
“All the suspects are still being interrogated and when the investigation is completed they will be taken to court to answer the charges facing them,” he said.
