Police on Wednesday arrested and detained a man who has been conning money from charcoal dealers while pretending to be Police officer collecting revenue in Nwoya district.
Mr Alex Ocira, 40, was arrested on orders of the Deputy Commandant Environmental Protection Police Unit, Mr Simon Peter Okoshi who was on a tour to ascertain the dangers of charcoal burning in Nwoya district.
The suspect was arrested in a police look alike attire with ranks of a Major in Uganda’s Police Force as he intercepted Mr Okoshi’s car at Moto Village in Lii parish in Koch Goma sub-county to pay a fee so he can pass through their area.
Mr Okoshi was with a team of environmental Police officers from Uganda Police Headquarters and their counterparts from Nwoya and Gulu districts.
Mr Okoshi while addressing the press at Anaka Police station in Anaka Town Council on Wednesday said the suspect violently stopped his car and demanded them to pay money before they could pass through the area he claims he rules.
“The suspect parked a Motorcycle in the middle of the road and stopped my car. He was dressed in a police shirt with ranks of a Major, he confidently came to the driver’s side asking for money so as to allow us pass, but when he realized that there were police men in the car, he tried fleeing but was intercepted,” says Mr Okoshi.
Mr Okoshi added that the suspect’s accomplice who was a distance away watching what was transpiring fled when he saw his colleague being arrested.
“We have got complaints of these categories of people staging road blocks within Koch Goma Sub-county pretending to be revenue collectors and police. They charge Shs 10,000 to Shs 30,000 per truck that transports charcoal and issue fake receipts,” says Mr Okoshi.
Mr Okoshi pledged that the police will dig deep into the impersonation saying such crimes may also be carried out with guns given the level of threats the suspect had exhibited to police officers.
“We know that a lot of illegal charcoal trades are currently going on in the district, and this has in-turn led to mass deforestation in the area with looming threats of desertification. Me and my team have come to work with the locals and find out ways of stopping this vice, but those who con money as police officers we shall jail them” says, Mr Okoshi.
The suspect admitted collecting money from charcoal business men for over three months but denied impersonating the police arguing that he didn’t know that the shirt he was putting on resembled a police shirt with rankings of a major.
Aswa Regional Police Spokesperson, Mr Jimmy Patrick Okema in an interview on Thursday evening said four other people who have been working with the suspect have also been arrested and detained at Nwoya Police Station.
He identified some of the suspects as Mr James Okello, Mr Musa Okello, Mr David Ojok and Mr Denis Okwera.
Mr Okema said the suspects will be charged with Danger or Obstruction in Public way under section 234 of the penal code and Demanding property with menace under section 293 of the penal; code act liable to five years imprisonment.
Police also earlier on Wednesday impounded over 600 bags of charcoal illegally being ferried out of Nwoya district by business men.
