Ruhango: Two suspected impersonators arrested

Police in Ruhango District is holding two men on suspicion of impersonating officials of Rwanda Standards Bureau (RBS). They were arrested on April 2, in Kirengeri village, Kamusenyi Cell of Byimana Sector.

They were at the time posing as employees of RSB and threatening traders in Kirengeri trading centre to give them bribes or risk action for using banned plastic bags and other products, according to Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Emmanuel Kayigi, the Police spokesperson for the Southern region.

CIP Kayigi identified the suspects as Jean Claude Murekezi and Gilbert Mugabo.

“The duo was moving from one shop to another looking for illegal products and threatening to arrest anyone found with such alleged illegal goods. They would then con them of varied money,” he explained.

One of the victims, Jacque Habyarimana, said: “They came to my shop, identified themselves as officials from RSB conducting inspection against illegal goods. They asked if we had Carolight, which they didn’t find but they found a few plastic bags and threatened to take me to police unless I gave them money.”

Carolight is a skin beaching Vaseline or lotion prohibited in Rwanda.

Habyarimana gave the duo Rwf35, 000. Another victim said that out of suspicion, largely because they two people were asking for bribes instead of imposing financial penalties, they called the Police.

“Police officers were immediately dispatched and arrested the two suspects in the act. We later found out that they are not employees of RSB; they were just conmen trying to defraud unsuspecting traders. These are criminal acts of impersonation and extortion punishable under articles 318 and 609 of the Rwandan penal code,” Kayigi said.

Under the article 318, any person who, intentionally obtains a property belonging to another person by fraud or using false names or qualities, shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of three to five years and a fine of Rwf3 million to Rwf5 million.

Impersonation under article 609 attracts a jail term of five to seven years and a fine of up to Rwf3 million.