By Frank Kamuntu
Three Ugandan expatriate scammers who have been collecting money from lonely and desperate love seekers promising to reconcile them with their lost lovers have been arrested by the Zambia National Cyber Security Task.
The criminal trio from Kampala was conveniently operating from Lusaka’s Matero Township, the country’s headquarters of all dubious activities.
They were found with dozens of mobile phone simcards from various mobile phone companies.
It has been reported that that Stephen Kafeero, aged 32, Bashir Nsubug, aged 34, and William Simfuka 37, all Ugandans were arrested in a sting operation at the weekend.
Having marketed themselves through Facebook and WhatsApp as powerful witchdoctors with the power to bring back lost lovers within 24 hours, the trio defrauded several desperate victims.
“One complainant was scammed out of K413,725.9 after being promised that the suspects could bring back lost lovers and heal any kind of disease through their charms,” one officer who was part of the operation told Kalemba.
The innovative but criminal trio also took the liberty of calling various mobile phone users and with their Luganda-influenced accents claimed they were running different promotions but ended up stealing from people’s mobile wallets.
On being cornered, the sheepish trio was painfully encouraged to use their witchcraft powers to escape the Waterloo but instead begged and cried for mercy.
They are detained in police custody, although it remains to be seen if the international jujumen will use some of their charms to bring back their lost freedom after appearing in the courts of law.
