Operatives from the Crime Intelligence Directorate and the Flying Squad Unit have arrested an 18-year-old man who has been masquerading as a doctor to lure desperate female job seekers to rape them.
According to police spokesperson, Fred Enanga, Ashraf Lubega, 18, a resident of Katosi village, in Mukono district opened up a facebook page under the names Doctor Ronnie of Medical Scrub Uganda which was offering jobs.
“On his facebook, he was advertising jobs in the medical profession and interviewing job seekers online through the Medical Scrub Uganda facebook page. Eventually, he would lure the female victims who were his targets by scheduling meetings so as to discuss the terms and conditions of employment and this he would do in areas of Kayunga and Mukono,” Enanga said.
He explained that the meetings would be scheduled in isolated and bushy places where he would cause the transportation of the victims.
Here he would then rape the female victims.
The arrest
According to police, the facebook scammer who disguised as a doctor was arrested following complaints from a number of his victims who after being lured, were raped.
“In one incident which occurred on March, 11, 2023, he interviewed a 24-year-old midwife from Kireka in Kampala and invited her to Ntunda village in Mukono district where he attacked and raped the victim who was looking for a midwife job.”
Enanga said after getting complaints from victims, operatives from Crime Intelligence Directorate and the Flying Squad Unit swung into action and tracked down the suspect who was got from Mukono.
The police spokesperson says that it has been established that the 18-year-old Lubega didn’t have a fixed place of abode but rather kept on sleeping in lodges around Kayunga and Mukono.
“We established he had lured, raped and robbed many unsuspecting members of the public with medical backgrounds. We are expanding our investigations to get more evidence,” Enanga says.
He however warned Ugandans to always be careful in regards seeking for jobs to avoid falling prey to fraudsters and other criminals who might deceive them for their own selfish interests.
“Be extra cautious while transacting business on social media and other digital platforms. There are a number of fraudsters who hide behind them.”
Describing the suspect as an 18-year-old peasant without any medical background, Enanga said that the job seekers ought to have been inquisitive and find out more about the suspect before meeting him.
“How can one be a doctor at 18 years? That alone should have sent a warning to the job seekers that he was a quack. We need to be vigilant to avoid being lured by such criminals.”