Police in Muhanga District are holding a man, who was arrested on June 25 for allegedly impersonating police officers and defrauding people. Jean Damascene Mutsindashyaka currently detained at Nyamabuye Police station was arrested by security forces at about 9:00am in Gahogo Cell of Nyamabuye Sector, according to Chief Inspector of Police John Bosco Karega, the District Police Commander. Karega said that Mutsindashyaka’s arrest followed information provided by one of the victims, whom he had allegedly conned of Rwf80, 000. "He was going around telling people that he’s a police officer and promising to get them jobs or help them acquire various services,” Karega said. "He told one of the victims identified as Claudine Ingabire, that he’s a police officer with connections in Kivu Fishing Project and knows all district leaders, and would help her get a job in the project; that’s how he ended up defrauding her of Rwf80, 000,” he further explained. According to the DPC, the Kivu Fishing Project is a ghost firm and doesn’t exist. At the time of his arrest, Mutsindashyaka was found in possession photocopies of academic transcripts belonging to six people and four passport photocopies of different people. "Police officers have ways they are identified, they bear a service card and they are responsible for people’s security not getting them jobs and above that, soliciting money from them. That would as well be bribery or corruption, which Rwanda National Police doesn’t entertain in any way,” Karega said. Article 318 of the Rwandan penal code states that "any person who, intentionally obtains a property belonging to another person fraudulently or by using false names or qualities, to give rise to hope or fear of harm and obtains a part or whole of a fortune shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of three to five years and a fine of Rwf3 to Rwf5 million.

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