Wakiso man defrauds Arua school teachers out of Shs 35 million

A 43-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly defrauding over Shs 35 million from the staff of Logiri Girls Secondary School in Arua district.

Victor Aja Adame, a resident of Katabi town council in Wakiso district was arrested on Friday in Entebbe after close to seven months of tracking by police detectives. He was then transferred to Arua district where he allegedly committed the crime.

It’s alleged that in September 2023, Aja went to the office of the headteacher of Logiri Girls disguising himself as a staff working with the minister of state for Higher Education Dr John Chrysostom Muyingo to reportedly identify teachers/staff who are due for promotion and those not on government payroll.

The suspect allegedly demanded Shs 1 million from each of the 35 staff at the school to consider them for promotion and enroll those who are not on payroll on government payroll such that they can start receiving salaries from the government.

Josephine Angucia, West Nile region police spokesperson said the matter was reported by Lillian Apio Tako, the head teacher of the school on January 16, 2024.

“The suspect has been traced, finally arrested and detained. Victims were all summoned and their statements recorded as well as statements from other relevant witnesses. An exhibit of two million Ugandan shillings was recovered and kept by police, as inquiries continue into the matter under Arua Vurra District CRB 078/2024”, Angucia said in a statement. 

Tako, said that they became suspicious after the suspect stopped picking her phone calls and later switched off his known mobile phone number which prompted her to register a case of obtaining money by false pretense with police.

“He stopped picking my calls and later switched off his phone which made me to suspect him to have defrauded my staff,” Apio said.