KAMPALA, UGANDA: Police in Kampala is investigating the criminal behind arson threats targeting school head teachers with the aim of extorting money from them.
According to Police Spokesperson CP Fred Enanga, two head teachers in Nabweru have so far been contacted by an anonymous caller on phone number 0700514784 with the person claiming to have been hired purposely to burn their schools if they did not heed to his monetary demands.
Enanga says; “On the 24.06.2022, they called and issued threats to the head teacher of Exford Nursery and Primary School, Joseph Nkoyoyo, after getting his number from the school signpost at around 1:40 pm. A similar threat of arson was made to the headteacher of Prosper Junior School, Mary Treasure Kuliro, by anonymous callers on the same number.”
He explains that after failed attempts, another caller used the same number, to demand Ugx 150,000 from the head teachers, claiming he knew the owners of the school and wanted to volunteer information to them.
According to Enanga, twelve suspects have so far been arrested and are thoroughly being screened at Nabweru police and therefore the public should not heed to such scam threats.
“We want to assure the Headteachers and the public that this is a scam, designed to scare them, into handing over money without seeking any further assistance. We do thank them for being responsible and encourage other potential victims, to report such scams to police, to help dismantle such extortion gangs and to help us monitor trends.”
“Therefore, we urge all members of the public to be very cautious while communicating on phone and avoid sharing any personal information with strangers or people you have never met in person. These criminals will try to get contacts from signposts, business cards or randomly and then demand money or forms in exchange for not causing damage to your property, life or blackmail and propaganda,” he added.
The public have also been advised to validate information such as phone details and offer to meet in person at secure locations. “Otherwise, stop communication immediately with these scammers and do not send money, to them because it will not stop them from demanding more money from you.” Warns Enanga
Enanga also cautioned other people like government officials, business owners, those looking for jobs, and vulnerable persons especially Elders to be very careful with scammers who use dishonest methods to contact potential victims and attempt to pressure them with threats to pay or blackmail.
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