9 Chinese nationals, 1 Ugandan arrested in Kampala for suspected telecom fraud

By Godfrey Olukya

KAMPALA, Uganda (AA) - Authorities in Uganda are holding nine Chinese nationals and a Ugandan on suspicion of being involved in telecom fraud, the Uganda Radio Network reported Monday.

It said police picked up the suspects during a raid on their apartment on Luthuli Avenue in Bugolobi, a suburb of the capital Kampala, following intelligence reports on their suspicious activities.

According to police, the suspects were found with over 500 phones and SIM cards registered to Ugandan names.

“We suspect that they were preparing to create a control room to connect these phones to an online platform called WeChat, a Chinese platform that is being used in sending messages and financial transactions,” police said.

The spokesman for Uganda's Criminal Investigations Directorate, Charles Twine, confirmed the arrest.

The Chinese suspects include six men and three women, Twine said, adding that due to the language barrier, they have not yet made any statements to the police.

“The challenge we currently have is the language barrier. The Chinese do not speak English, but we are still looking for an interpreter so that we can have their statements recorded to help in our investigations,” he said.

He said police and cyber investigations experts are still trying to find out the names of the Ugandans and how the suspects acquired them to register the SIM cards.

The Uganda Radio Network said that last year, police arrested 38 Chinese nationals with over 2,000 mobile phones all connected with Ugandan SIM cards. Investigations revealed that they were being used for different financial crimes. They were subsequently deported.