POLICE in Mwanza Region have arrested seven people for allegedly purporting to be part of the presidential detail and soliciting bribes from businesspersons and public servants.
The Regional Police Commander (RPC), Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Muliro Jumanne, said the suspects were arrested at Nyakato area after investigations by the police.
He said the law enforcers had also arrested one Ashery Justol (30), for impersonating the RPC.The RPC told a news conference here yesterday that the suspected conmen were arrested between December 27, last year and January 2, this year.
He said all the suspects would be arraigned as soon as possible, further explaining that they had been found with a pistol and various identity cards purporting to show that some of them were pilots attached to the State House while others purported to be part of the presidential security detail.
He explained that the group sneaked an ambulance of Toyota Hiace make with registration number T751 BNL into motorcades of top leaders on visits to the region.
“After the motorcades left the venues of events, they kept a distance, but subsequently rushed to purportedly catch up with the convoys,” the RPC explained.
They were reportedly mostly targeting the presidential, vice-presidential and prime ministerial motorcades.
“Even after being arrested, they insisted that they were intelligence officers from the State House, but after thorough interrogation, they admitted that they were not security officers,” he said.
Investigations by police have shown that the suspected conmen have been moving around the city siphoning money from people through fraudulent means pretending that they were on special missions.
“They have been moving around instilling fear amongst business community members as well as members of the public, seeking to obtain money deceitfully,” ACP Muliro explained.
The suspects are Chalanga William Chalanga (45), a resident of Pasiansi in Ilemela, Hamisi Mwalimu (25) a vehicle mechanic, Philipo Petro, an Usagara resident in Misungwi District and Elia Gunda (30), a resident of Kisesa.
Others are Hassan Mohamedi Juma (29) a Mkolani resident in Nyamagana District and IT expert, Seleman Joram Karanga (25) and Michael Richard Mazige who hails from Morogoro Region.
“We will not tolerate to host criminals in this region. I call upon members of the public to provide law enforcement organs with any information on criminal activities,” the RPC urged.
The impersonation suspect, according to ACP Muliro, had downloaded the portrait of the RPC from the internet and manipulate it as his profile photograph.
“He sent text messages to various people, deceitfully informing them that he was the Mwanza RPC and that he was facing some social problems for which he needed financial assistance. “He deceived whoever pressed him to pursue a direct phone conversation option that he was busy in a meeting. However, we eventually arrested him,” the RPC further explained.
The police is also holding one Hemedi Jumanne (40), a witchdoctor and Sengerema resident for allegedly raping a woman aged 32 in Igogo Ward in Nyamagana District.She had gone to the witchdoctor as a client, but he raped her instead.
