Police in Kasungu have arrested a 33-year-old man identified as Francis Banda for fraudulently soliciting money from people claiming that he would recruit them as volunteers for USAID.
Kasungu Public Relations Officer Inspector Harry Namwaza said Banda committed the offence in April, 2019 at Masaka village in the area of Traditional Authority Chinyama in Kasungu district.
Namwaza added that the police were tipped by some well-wishers that there was a certain suspicious man who was going around collecting money from people alleging that he would recruit them as volunteers to work for USAID.
He said they therefore established that the suspect was demanding a nonrefundable fee of K5000 per person for one to be recruited.
“After suspecting something fishy in what the suspect was doing, some well-wishers tipped the police who arrested him,” Namwaza said.
Meanwhile, police have found that least eleven people were defrauded. Investigations are still underway to establish whether there are more people who were scammed by the suspect.
Banda has since been charged with obtaining money by false pretence contrary to section 319 of the penal code.
Following this incident, police have advised people to desist from depositing any amount of money to people who suspiciously present themselves as agents of an organisation.
Francis Banda comes from Chitsiru village in the area of Traditional Authority Chinyama in Kasungu district.
