Police has arrested a Congolese national who has been extorting money from asylum seekers impersonating as a UNHCR boss.
Theophile Mudimba, 28, had a fake ID from World Organization for Migration and Resettlements Center with his position as Inspector General.
According to the Commissioner for Refugees at UNHCR, Apollo Kazungu, Mudimba has been extorting money from asylum seekers promising to take them to US and Europe for resettlement.
“We cannot know how much money he has extorted from unsuspecting asylum seekers because he has done it for a longtime yet resettlement programs are free of charge for any genuine asylum seeker,” Kazungu explained.
Mudimba was arrested on Tuesday afternoon when an Ethiopian national reported him to the UNHCR offices at Old Kampala.
“He had asked the Ethiopian lady $100 and she suspected fraud that is why she came here and we tricked him to come for the money and that is how he was arrested,” Kazungu explained.
The suspect is being detained at Old Kampala Police Station and will be arraigned in Court next week according to Police.
Kazungu noted that many asylum seekers especially from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and DRC are dupped by impersonators who promise to take them overseas for resettlement.
Mudimba denied the allegations and said that he is a refugee from DRC who has been living in Uganda for 13 years.
