By Steven Enatu
KATAKWI
An unscrupulous man masquerading as Commissioner of Police has been arrested in Katakwi District for alleged impersonation and receiving money by false pretence.
Aimwe Ivan was arrested on Friday 17th March, 2023 and was detained at Katakwi Central Police Station.
Aimwe who also uses another name as Patrick Opolot duped 62 unemployed desperate youths from Katakwi, Amuria and Kapelebyong districts claiming he is a police commissioner and would help them join the police last year. Each victim reportedly paid 645,000shs including 95,000shs for hire of a bus to Kabalya Police training Institute in Masindi.
One of the victims who spoke to me on condition of anonymity says Aimwe first told them they would go and join the already recruits who were undergoing training by 28th of November 2022. This however did not happen. He later pushed the date to 15th December 2022 and failed.
“He then told us to wait for 15th January and January has passed. That’s when I realized something was not right. So just two days ago I got a message from one of the coordinators for Usuk Martin Ekure that the guy has been arrested and I should send someone to write a statement on my behalf at Katakwi CPS since I am far away, “the victim narrated.
I asked him whether he personally met the suspect, the victim replied, “No, I never saw him, even his whatsapp profile he was using the photo of a lady but at some point he even sent me the receipt that he had hired a bus already to take us to Kabalya in Masindi this somehow brought hope to me but later I realized he was just a wrong guy.”
In pursuit for details, we tried trailing Aimwe’s Whatsap status, all we could find is a profile picture of a lady but has four different numbers all of which he uses on Whatsapp. This alone sends a bad signal of his character. Police in East Kyoga are yet to release a statement on the matter.
Martin Ekure, one of the coordinators, says Aimwe was arrested and taken to Katakwi CPS where he admitted taking money from different youths. He was tasked to write an agreement that he pays back the money to the victims. The money is worth 12,700,000shs and agreed he will pay it back within a period of two months.
“He’s been telling us that he is a police commissioner but we didn’t know that he was just an impersonator. I am not sure whether he is still in police or out already. The arrest happened last week,” he said.
