Police have arrested five people accused of posing as employees of the Office of Ombudsman and defrauding unsuspecting members of the public.

The suspects were arrested in two separate operations conducted in the City of Kigali and Rusizi District after one of the would-be victims, who had filed for appeal in the Office of Ombudsman after he lost a property case in court, became suspicious and lodged a complaint.

The suspects include a woman, identified as Florence Nizeyimana, alias Aline Mammy, who is said to be the ring leader; Eric Rutaganzwa, alias Kajangwe; and Victor Ndayisabye, alias Claude. The latter two were arrested in Kigali last month.

Others are Joseph Ndayishimiye, alias Emmanuel Nkurunziza, and Manasseh Makambo, aka Jacque Umuhire, both arrested with their alleged leader Nizeyimana on Tuesday in Rusizi.

How it unfolded

According to Jean Aime Kajangana, the spokesperson for Office of the Ombudsman, they have been receiving reports of people who go around claiming to be employees of the Office of Ombudsman with intentions of defrauding unsuspecting members of the public.

Among the would-be victims, Kajangana said, include one Fulgence Mpawenimana, who had lost a property case in both Nyarugenge Intermediate Court and the High Court, and had appealed in the Office of the Ombudsman.

"Along the process emerged a one Aline Mammy (Florence Nizeyimana), who claimed to be a court employee and offered to help Mpawenimana with the case in return for Rwf400,000,” Kajangana said.

Nizeyimana, who hails from Byumba Sector in Gicumbi District, then introduced Rutaganzwa and Ndayisabye to the would-be victim as employees of the Office of Ombudsman to follow up and collect the money on her behalf.

However, to be sure of the people he was dealing with, Mpawenimana inquired with the Office of Ombudsman, which distanced itself from the trio and informed Police, which launched investigations.

"We worked with the would-be victim and Police and first arrested Ndayisabye red-handed in Kacyiru as he received the money before apprehending Rutaganzwa later that day in Nyamirambo,” Kajangana said.

The duo was arrested shortly after communicating with their ‘boss’ that they had received the money.

In order to effectively track the whole ring, Police switched off the phones of Ndayisabye and Rutaganzwa, which led Nizeyimana to imagine that she had been duped as well and she constituted another team composed of Makambo, who this time claimed to be a judge, and Ndayishimiye, who posed as his secretary.

This time, Nizeyimana demanded Rwf300,000. The trio was also tracked and arrested in Rusizi as they waited for the arrival of their ‘client’ with the money.

"We call upon the general public to know where and how to get services. Those who have fallen victim to such scrupulous schemes should come forward and facilitate the fight against such vices,” Kajangana said.

"There are clear and known ways of paying for a legal service, but not paying to individuals on deals done on phones and in isolated places.”

Police spokesperson Theos Badege said Police have good working relations with the Office of Ombudsman, like any other institution, to fight crime in general.

"We are aware of the people who pose as brokers between service seekers and service providers, which affect service delivery, which we can’t allow as law enforcers and responsible Rwandans in general,” Badege said.

He said the suspects face two accounts; fraud and usurpation of duties. editorial@newtimes.co.rw