Police have arrested four people for allegedly scamming a South African national of Shs388 million in a fake gold deal.
Reports indicate that the four suspects – Edson Ogwang, Joseph Karumba, and Jacob Opio – including Ronald Safari, a Congolese, tricked a South African man, Attlee Shaun Robert Lloyd, out of $103,050 (about Shs388 million) by pretending to sell him real gold for export to Dubai.
The case came to light after Lloyd reported the fraud to the Police Minerals Protection Unit. He told officers that he met a group operating through Huanqui Precious Metal Trading Limited, a company based in Buziga, Makindye division, Kampala. They offered to sell him gold and handle the export process.
According to Lloyd, he paid the money to cover insurance, taxes, and logistics for the shipment. After the payment, the gold never arrived. When the group kept asking for more money, he became suspicious and went to the police.
Officers moved quickly and raided the company’s premises. Inside, they found what they believe were fake gold bars, a precious metals analyser, a vehicle, passports, identity cards, and several documents. Samples of the metal bars have been sent to the Government Analytical Laboratory in Entebbe to confirm if they are fake.
Police also seized a machine used to test precious metals, which they say was fake, along with forged identity cards. One of the cards claimed that suspect Jacob Opio was a government tester from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development. The four suspects are now in custody.
Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire said investigators have written to the Uganda Registration Services Bureau and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development to check whether the company was properly registered and licensed to trade in gold.
This arrest comes as security agencies deal with a rise in gold scams. In April, Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma said over 25 companies were under investigation for similar fraud cases.
Police are continuing to verify the evidence and are asking anyone with information about the company to come forward.
